How Did I get Here?
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I died? Then how did I end up here? 19th century London? Well, it's better than where I was, I suppose. That is, if I make sure I don't get involved with Ciel Phantomhive. But Lau, you're not going to let me stay out of things, are you?
1. Chapter 1

**Curious how Ciel would handle someone similar to him, but more blank-faced about everything... He hates him... :P Warning: mature themes, and rape/suicide triggers**

* * *

I sighed, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, covered in grease and standing up to appreciate the work I had done on a client's motorcycle. _Looks good enough to me._ Tossing the wrench I had back into the tool box, I grabbed a dirty red rag and cleaned my face as I headed up to my boss's office window and knocked on the glass, distracting him from his newspaper reading.

"Hey, the bike's done. I'm heading out now."

The man gave me a dull look, waving me off before returning to his reading. I tucked the rag into the pocket of my dark blue jumper and went into the back room to change out of said atrocity. Once dressed in my torn denim skinny jeans and white dress shirt, I rolled up the sleeves and put on the black vest and fingerless gloves, grabbing my coat and heading out to my other job. As I walked, my hand twitched for a smoke, but I didn't have any on me, nor did I have the cash to get some, so I threw the urge aside and settled for chewing on my lip ring.

"Hey, faggot! What's up?" An older kid laughed with his friends, purposefully stopping me with a rough hand to my chest.

"Piss off." I grumbled, trying to get past him.

"What? Boyfriend dump you or something?"

I ignored him and walked on, used to this kind of issue. I mean, so what? I'm gay. Doesn't mean everyone in the world has to be an ass about it, but there wasn't anything I could do. My uncle already disowned me and my parents were killed in an accident. I worked three jobs just to pay rent, and hadn't had a decent meal in a few days because the landowner is a jerk and makes my rent far too much. Hell, I was lucky to still be in school, though sometimes I wish I wasn't. The problems there were far worse than what had just occurred. _At least I'm alive though. I'm not going to let something like this stop me when I could show those idiots just what I'm capable of. One day, they'll be working for me._ I smirked slightly as I strolled into the bar, waving a lazy hello to my coworkers as they begun to set up for the evening.

"Hey, Alex, you're in charge of the tables today."

I mentally groaned as my smirking coworker threw his towel at me, and I pulled the rag off my head with a glare. Working tables was the worst. It meant dealing with drunkards and people coping feels, which I did not want to deal with. I was a guy, for Pete's sake! Just because I had a girly face didn't mean I liked the drunks doing what they want. I had no choice though and reluctantly took my position as the evening began. Hours went by with only a few minor incidents, but the evening went pretty well and I soon headed home to my ratty apartment and slowly smiled upon remembering what awaited me at home. _My cat and the Black Butler series._ Those were my only two possessions and I was definitely glad they would be there when I got home. _I'd rather live in shitty 19_ _th_ _century England with them than in this place._ I thought, when a shiver racked down my spine.

I pulled my coat tighter around me, breath fogging up before me in the chilly November weather, but I still had this feeling of being watched. Looking around cautiously, I saw no one yet the feeling remained. _I don't like this._ I turned around and immediately my eyes widened as two bright headlights were coming right at me. Desperately, I tried to jump out of the way, but the car was _aiming_ for me and I didn't stand a chance. Bones shattered as I was hit by the grill and launched up and over the car, coming back down onto the cold, unforgiving concrete with a sickening thud. The pain was excruciating and I struggled to open my eyes, a deep burning anger boiling in my stomach as the car drove off, leaving me there to bleed out. I tried to move, anything, even getting my mouth to work would be nice, but already everything was going dark. I was freezing and it wasn't just because of the chilly weather. The pain was fading too. My body was going numb and I blinked extremely slowly, finding my cat suddenly in front of me. _I'm sorry…Looks like you're going to need someone else to take care of you now…_ As my eyes closed for a final time, I swear I saw my cat's eyes glow a bright blue, but it made no difference now. Now, I'd finally be released from the hellish world I'd been living in.

* * *

 _"Life is a cycle, a great wheel that turns throughout time: we are born, we live, we die, and (if we are lucky) we are reborn"_

 _-Robyn Bachar_

* * *

I wasn't expecting to wake up after that, but I did. My eyes opened to a hazy, dirty smelling alleyway and, assuming I just somehow survived what had happened, I sighed to myself and got up. Dusting the dirt that clung to my clothes, I frowned at the stains on them as I left the alley. _Aw man. This was my favorite shirt and vest!_ _Now I'll have to scrounger up some left over change for the laun…dro…mat?_ My mouth dropped open at the sight before me and the concern over the state of my clothes all but vanished.

"W-What the hell…"

Horse drawn carriages traveled down the streets as men and women alike walked around with canes and umbrellas, all dressed in Victorian style clothing. My mind, unlike others, didn't panic. I had been through enough crazy things and something like this wouldn't really sink in until later. So for the moment, I stood there on the sidewalk frozen as I watched the ongoings of, what appeared to be, 19th century London. It took maybe half an hour before that finally sank in, and I flopped back onto the cobblestones in blatant shock.

"N-No way."

 _If I'm in 19_ _th_ _century London, how the heck did I get here? I thought I died! I-I was hit by a car so…how?!_ I shook my head, sitting cross-legged on the ground and cradling my face in my hands. _No wait, that's not what I should be worried about._ How _I got here doesn't matter. What matters is what I do next._ I took a deep breath and steeled myself for now. While there was nothing but misery for me back where I was before, that didn't mean I wouldn't miss things. My cat, for one thing, and the books and other things I had at home. Things that I had _earned_. I took a deep breath, and set off down the sidewalk, ignoring the occasional odd looks I received from passerbys who were staring at me and whispering.

 _First thing's first, I'll need some cash. I need to get rid of these clothes too. They're too modern for this time, if I am even correct as to what time period I'm in. I guess that's actually the first thing on the list._ I pulled a hand through my striking red hair, feeling a bit out of place because of it as well, before tugging on my rat-tail. Luckily, I spotted a newspaper boy and quickly headed his way.

"Hey, kid. What's today's date?"

The kid, dirty and rugged, blinked up at me. "It's March 10th, 1888, sir."

I paled, feeling sick for a moment and stuttered out a broken thanks before walking further. _A-Alright. No need to panic. What kind of jobs can I find in 19_ _th_ _century London? Butcher, baker, newspaper boy, dock worker, blacksmith, shop assistant, waiter maybe…_ I sighed, and checked my pockets for anything I could sell for some immediate cash. I reluctantly pulled out a small silver ring I had kept for years for emergency, it being extremely cheap in my world, but perhaps here it could be worth something. I headed for a jewelry store and showed it to the man. He furrowed his brow and offered me a small amount of money, but it was more than I expected and quickly I pocketed it and headed back out in search for a job.

 _I mean, technically, I could become a thief or beggar, but I don't want to degrade myself in order to make some money. I need to earn it doing something I enjoy._ I scanned the streets, when I found something interesting. There was a horse drawn carriage that was pulled off to the side, the owner in a panic and I decided to be a good Samaritan and headed over to offer my help.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, and the short, portly man turned to me, a handkerchief being held to his sweating forehead.

"N-No. I apologize if my fretting has bothered you, sir. Don't mind me."

I was a bit surprised, seeing how everyone called me 'sir' here, but I quickly assumed it was because of my nicer clothes and continued to push the issue.

"I'll be more than willing to help you, if you want. Don't let my clothes fool you, I've only got a few silver to my name right now." I gave him a small smile and he returned it.

"W-Well, if you insist…My clients are currently inside the store right now, however another carriage bumped into mine in passing and k-knocked the wheel out of alignment. T-T-They're very important people and if I can't return them to their home, I-I'll lose my job!"

I nodded and gestured to the carriage. "May I take a look?"

He returned the nod and I walked over, eyeing the wheel. It was indeed off, pointing off to the right instead of straight, but it didn't look completely broken to me. I knelt down to get a closer look and after a moment, I was forced to crawl underneath the carriage to see where the damage was. I could hear the driver panicking as I dirtied my clothes, but that wasn't important and I soon found the problem. I poked my head out and gave the man a look.

"Do you have any tools for this? A, uh, wrench possibly?"

He nodded and clambered about the back of the carriage before handing me the tool. I pulled my gloves off with my teeth and took it, loosening pieces and moving things before tightening it and crawling out from under the carriage. I then adjusted the alignment of the wheel, using a bit of effort due to the size and weight of the thing, before crawling back under and finishing. As I handed the man the tool, I gave him a smile.

"There ya go. All fixed up."

He looked close to tears and thanked me profusely while I just nervously chuckled, replaced my gloves, and tugged my rat-tail. _It wasn't a big deal. It was far easier than working on the vehicles back in the 21_ _st_ _century._

"What's going on?" A young voice called out, and the driver who was still thanking me, froze and hurried off to apologize to whoever called out.

"I-I'm very sorry, sir. The carriage was broken a-and—"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. I should have you fired for this."

I felt bad for the driver and, against my better judgment, I went to confront the person. And by 'confront' I mean apologize instead.

"I'm really sorry, sir. It was my fault. I apologize for delaying your trip." I said, bowing deeply in front of the person.

"And who are you?"

"I am Alexandre Lawrence. I saw the driver was having trouble after a carriage hit his wheel and came over to help." I stood straight and looked at the person I was speaking with, only to go wide eyed.

 _You've_ got _to be kidding me. Ciel Phantomhive?!_ The _Ciel Phantomhive?! And that can only mean…_ I looked behind the boy and spotted none other than Sebastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji standing before me, stern looking as he stared back. I swallowed thickly at his intimidating gaze and instead returned my focus to the blue haired boy in front of me.

"I-It is my fault, Mr. Phantomhive. I sincerely apologize for any issue I may have caused." I apologized again, bowing once more.

"Hmph, at least someone knows his place." Ciel muttered, waving at the driver as I straightened. "Hurry up. I wish to get back quickly."

"Y-Yes sir!" The man stuttered out, preparing his carriage to leave, and I just watched as the butler helped the boy into the back.

I knew better than to try and get involved in this plot. I wasn't from this world and me interfering might cause more bad than good, so I was willing to let them go. One look was all I really needed, besides, I still needed to find a job here. Starting a new life is harder than it looks, after all. Sighing, I turned away and fiddled with my rat-tail before hurrying across the road. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

I groaned, slumped over in a dirty alleyway as the sun shined brightly in my face. I stretched with a yawn, wincing at the pain from sleeping awkwardly, and I stood up and remembered what had happened the day before. _That's right…I died._ I looked down at my hand and flexed it, confirming that I was now indeed alive, before sighing and stepping out of the alleyway and onto the already crowded sidewalks.

 _I couldn't find a job anywhere and there's only a few more places to check before I'll have to switch over to other means of survival._ I heard my stomach growl and begrudgingly pulled out some of the money I had received from selling the ring and went to the nearest bakery. The bread here was surprisingly really good, far better than what as served in my old life, and I settled for people watching as I leaned up against a wall and ate the loaf of bread I'd bought. _I wonder where I'm at in the plot though. Not that it matters I already said I wasn't going to get involved._ I closed my eyes for a moment and listened. Meditating almost. I wasn't super upset I died or anything, it happens to everyone sooner or later and my life wasn't exactly pleasant either. There wasn't anyone who would miss me or that I would miss other than my cat, but she was just a stray I picked up, so it wasn't a big deal. I couldn't say dying was fun though. Getting hit by a car, _purposely_ trying to run me down, wasn't exactly the best experience but I was fine now. The only thing I worried about was how I was going to make a living here after starting with nothing.

I sighed and opened my eyes, tucking the rest of the bread away for later and resuming my walk in search of a job. Despite my appearance, I was very formal with people and couldn't really see why finding a job would be so hard here, but it was definitely proving to be difficult and, as the sun rose higher in the sky, I was forced to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to find a job with the way I looked. _Looks like the lip ring has to go and I need to get a cap or something to hide my hair, plus new pants and shoes. Those are what make me stick out the most._ I frowned distinctly to myself and made my way into one of the back alleys in search of some street kid I could possibly buy a cap off of, as I removed my lip ring and tucked it away in my coat pocket. Running my tongue over the hole in my lip, I frowned a bit more. _It's going to be hard to get used to. I chew my lip ring when I'm nervous, but I suppose I could do with getting rid of a bad habit._ I suddenly saw a kid running past and called out to him quickly.

"Hey! Hey kid!"

He stopped, but stayed cautious, looking as though he would run at the slightest movement.

"You want to make some quick cash?"

His eyes brightened then and he came a bit closer. "Whatcha need, mister?"

I pointed to his newspaper cap. "How much for your cap?"

He took the cap off his head, revealing curly brown hair and looked up at me. "How much you got?"

 _Smart kid._ I reached into my pocket and pulled out some money. "How about three pieces?"

He frowned. "No way. Seven."

"How about five and the rest of my bread?" I said, holding out the morsel.

The boy, obviously became conflicted, but the growling of his stomach decided for him and he nodded, taking the bread and the money before hurrying off. I smiled a bit and put the cap on my head, hiding a majority of my hair aside from my rat-tail, and left the alleyway five pieces and a loaf of bread short. Once I appeared mostly normal, it was far easier to get a job. I managed to find one working at the local blacksmith, as well as running a few occasional errands for some people down at the docks. And by people, I really mean Lau. The Chinese man found me curious and even let me wear my lip ring while working. He wasn't a super important person in the plot so I figured working for him as some messenger underling wouldn't be too bad.

A good month or so had passed and I hadn't seen any sign of the main characters, so I focused more on my work. The blacksmith job went pretty good. The pay was decent and I got to learn how to sword fight during my breaks. It was hard work, but it kept me in shape and reminded me a lot of the mechanics job I had back home. The work with Lau, although a bit more secretive and sketchy at times, proved enjoyable and had me learning the ins and outs of the London docks and back alleys. What's more, I quickly learned where everything was in the town and had some of his other underlings show me how to fight better. I knew a bit from my past life, but they helped me improve and protect myself in the rougher parts of London. I was pretty much used to my new life here in the 19th century, but fate decided that I had had enough fun and threw reality back in my face.

"Why are you taking me along with you again?" I asked the smirking Chinese man who sat across from me in the carriage without Ran-Mao, oddly enough.

"You've been such a good help lately, Alex! It's only right I get to show you off."

I cringed, glancing at him from under the brim of my cap. "I don't have to be all proper, do I?"

He laughed. "Oh no! Far from it! You're not passing along messages today, Alex. You're just here to be my little body guard."

I sighed, placing my chin on my hand and looking out the window. "Isn't that what Ran-Mao is for?"

"Of course!"

I glanced at him, but he didn't say anything after that and I rolled my eyes. _Typical Lau._ _I still don't understand why he had to drag me_ here _though._ I thought as the carriage pulled up to none other than the Phantomhive manor. _Guess I'll figure out where in the plot I am though._ I exited the carriage behind Lau and the three of us were greeted by Sebastian before being led into the billiard room where Madam Red, Clause, Azzurro Vener, Arthur Randall, and some other nobleman were already waiting. Ciel, of course, sat perched in one of the chairs with his pool stick off to the side and greeted Lau.

"Took your time, Lau. We were about to start without you."

"I just had a few things to take care of, Earl. I got carried away."

"Hm." Ciel huffed, waving a hand for the others to go ahead and start the game while I moved to the shadows to just watch the ongoings of the room.

"I see you replaced your bodyguard." Ciel noted, glancing at me as I glanced back.

"Oh yes! Alex is quite the prize I found!" Lau said, dragging me forward with an arm around my shoulders and poking me in the cheek with the hand holding his billiard stick. "I'd be willing to let you borrow him, if you want, Earl. You would surely be able to use his skills more than I shall."

 _Lau, you little snake._ I thought, slightly annoyed. _I'm trying to_ avoid _dealing with Ciel, not get closer._

Ciel hummed. "I might just take you up on that offer, Lau."

"Hu hu. You won't be disappointed. Found him only a month ago and already he's one of the best."

Lau got up off me and went to take his shot when a commotion could be heard coming from outside the doors.

"They're quite boisterous." Randall said, giving the door a glance as Azzurro went to take his shot. "Somehow, there seems to be a rat in here, too."

I scooted back to my shadowed area against the wall and watched the door as well. _This is when Azzurro kidnaps Ciel, if I remember right._

"How long do you intend to let that harmful animal that scavenges for food and spreads disease around do as it pleases?" The noble said, eating a sandwich.

I wrinkled my nose a bit turning my lip up in a snarl. _Disgusting._

"Shall we let it do as it pleases? Or shall we make it swim?" Lau said, drawing my attention back to him just as Madam Red spoke.

"Yes, he always aims for the nine-ball. Will you pass again, Lord Phantomhive?"

Ciel smirked, closing his eyes. "Pass. The ball that you can't help hitting is an un-hit principle."

Azzurro went up to hit again and Randall scowled. "That's good judgment. When will the rat be exterminated?"

"Soon. I've already received the ingredients from Clause." Ciel said. "We will eradicate the rat that finds its nest after we break a few of its bones. When can I receive the compensation for it?"

"You vulture." Randall growled.

Ciel stopped smirking and grew serious. "Do you possess the right to insult our crest? You, a bloodhound that can't even catch one rat?"

The man grit his teeth and I watched him cautiously as Lau made his shot.

"Billiards is hard…" He complained.

"Next is the Lord. What will you do? Will you put an end to this waiting game?"

Ciel stood and stopped by Randall. "And? When will you be able to prepare the compensation?"

"T-This evening." Randall said begrudgingly.

"That's fine." Ciel replied, climbing up onto the table and preparing his shot. "Afterwards a carriage will come to pick you up. Please wait for high tea to be prepared."

The man clenched his teeth as Lau spoke. "Will you aim for the nine-ball with the remaining three-ball?"

"Of course."

I smirked slightly at this. I knew a good thing or two about billiards and it was a pretty decent shot. Difficult for amateurs, but a good billiard player could do it. _Which is probably why Lau didn't have me doing any of his shots. He may want to show me off, but not to the extent of insulting business partners._

"Greed sets the body on the path to destruction." Randall said, but Ciel just smirked devilishly as he took his shot, sinking all of the balls and ending the game.

"Greed, huh?"

With the game and the conversation over, everyone made for their carriages, but Lau and I stayed behind.

"So what do you say, Earl?" Lau said, placing an arm over my shoulders. "Want to try him out?"

I stayed silent, though my lip twitched in annoyance as I looked down at the boy. _Please say no. I really don't want to get dragged into this._

Ciel looked up at me and a smirk slowly began forming on his face, as though he knew exactly what I was thinking and was going to go out of his way to make me miserable.

"Very well, Lau. I will take him in for a while. Perhaps he'll prove useful on our little mouse hunt."

Lau chuckled while I mentally groaned, and he said his goodbyes to Ciel and I, before getting in his carriage and leaving me to my doom. Looking down at my new—hopefully temporary—master, I watched as he looked up at me with a dull expression before sighing.

"Follow me. I have a few things to clarify with you before we get started."

I followed silently as we headed down the hall and Ciel pulled out some paperwork as we met up with Sebastian and the servants, who were having trouble dealing with some mice.

"Young master?" Sebastian said, curiously, eyeing me for a moment.

"Tonight, escort Duke Randall by carriage to his mansion. Will you take care of the carriage? Leave tonight's plans open."

Sebastian smirked. "Understood. Then when I finish the preparations for the carriage, I will bring up some afternoon tea to your room. I have prepared apple and raisin dip pie for today's snack. I will bring it to you when it's baked, so please wait just a bit."

"Okay. Oh, and this is Alex, Lau's bodyguard. He will be working with us for some time as we go about hunting the rat."

Sebastian nodded and smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Alexandre Lawrence."

I nodded as well as Ciel looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Again?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, my lord. Don't you remember? A few months ago when we picked up your cane. He fixed the carriage we were using."

Ciel glanced at me with a small frown. "Is that so… Hm, I'll be in my office speaking with him, Sebastian."

Sebastian nodded and the two of us left, though I could feel Sebastian still watching me. When we got to his office though, I grew nervous. _Should I stop him? But how? He doesn't know me and if what I say proves right, then I'm going to have to explain how I know._ _Perhaps I should just go in first?_ I looked down, but Ciel had already entered the room and was waiting for me to do the same.

"Are you coming or not?" He grumbled, when I saw a man behind him.

I hurried in and punched the man in the face, knocking him back, but he wasn't alone and another man grabbed Ciel, holding a cloth over his mouth. Gritting my teeth, I punched another man who went to attack me and turned to pull the man off Ciel, but the first man had gotten up behind me and a gunshot rang out.

"Mm!" Ciel called out from behind the cloth as I grit my teeth due to the pain now radiating from my shoulder.

I continued trying to stop the men, but they had the advantage and when they had Ciel unconscious, they managed to take me down as well and tied me up, gagging me, and stuffing me in the back of a car with him. I continued to struggle, in the hopes of being able to grab my knife from the back of my pants, but the pain from my bleeding shoulder was excruciating and it only took one good hit from one of the men to knock me out.

* * *

When I had regained consciousness, I was not pleased to find myself tied up with belts of some sort. _Just what I needed. A bullet wound and kidnapping and I've only been involved with the Phantomhive's for maybe an hour._ Wincing at the pain in my shoulder and the headache that was now forming, I sat up and frowned at the blonde haired man who was staring at me.

"Oh? Looks like the other pest has woken up first. Good. Gives me something to play with." He said with a smirk, while I just glared back.

He swung a kick, but I purposely fell over before it could land and made him look like an idiot as he nearly fell. Of course, that only pissed him off and I was in for a terrible beating until Ciel decided to finally wake up.

"Hmph, it's about time. I was beginning to get bored." Azzurro said, kicking me once more in the stomach before kneeling down in front of Ciel and holding his head up by his hair. "Wakey, wakey, Phantomhive."

Ciel wearily opened his eyes and upon seeing Azzurro, he spit in his face with a smirk. Seeing that this was going to tick the man off, I managed to get my legs under me and, although they were chained up, I was able to push off of them and tackle Azzurro before he could hit Ciel.

"Alex?!"

Azzurro, thoroughly pissed, threw me off of him and into his desk before slamming his heel down on my shoulder wound.

"Agh!"

"You little bastard!"

"Enough." Ciel said, stopping Azzurro for now.

"Hmph, I suppose you're right. We have better things to talk about." Azzurro said, going to get a cigar. "The backside of England's public, 'The Order'. Traitors will be bitten to death by our power, by the Queen's watchdogs. I have come to take over the dirtied part of the government that has spanned many generations. The evil royal family. How many street names have they been burdened with, and how many families have been crushed? Who would've thought that the president of the world's best toy factory is just a boy? Right, Ciel Phantomhive?"

I spit some blood off to the side and struggled quietly to reach the knife in the back of my pants.

"Looks can be deceiving." Ciel said, watching me before returning his gaze back up to Azzurro.

"Well, it's oddly understandable that the king of a toy palace is a child."

"It really was you, Ferro Family, Azzurro Vener."

The man gave Ciel an annoyed look. "You know, little Phantomhive, the Italian mafia finds this country bothersome. It's really a pain. All of the English and their goddamn tea stained heads! Think about it! What's the most beneficial market for people like us? It's not cleaning up, carrying things, nor women, nor spare parts. It's drugs, ya know? Even so, we came to this country, thanks to the successful glares of the watchdogs, we haven't been able to catch a single relaxing scent."

"It was an order from the Queen not to let the dealers do as they please with their drugs." Ciel replied.

"Ah, come on, don't be so stubborn. This is why I hate the English. The Queen! The Queen! That's all they ever talk about. In the end aren't we two sides of the same coin? So I just want us to cooperate a bit."

"Sorry, but I have no intentions of conspiring with a filthy rat."

I mentally sighed. _Ciel, you're going to piss him off again._ But I had finally gotten my knife and I just needed to cut through my bindings. _Although, I'll probably die trying. Azzurro has his gun, then there's the two men already standing in here who have guns, not to mention the dog and the men hidden behind the photo. Maybe I should just sit back and watch? But I don't want Ciel getting hurt._ I frowned, cheek pressed into the carpet under me. _He reminds me a lot of myself before I met…_

"You may say that, but what about the others? Right now it might be only the watchdogs who are scared and obedient. I guess Ciel Phantomhive is someone who cleans out corruption. Even though I specifically made it so that I wouldn't sell in Italy, I didn't expect to be tracked this early on." Azzurro laughed. "Who would have guessed that guy Clause would go to such lengths to obtain it. It's because of that that I only got half my share." He then grew serious, placing the cigar in his mouth. "Now then, do you understand this business yet? If you're lying about where the goods are kept, you'd better run home while you're neck's still attached, little runt."

Ciel smirked. "If I do return, evidence will soon make its way to the government from Clause. It's a shame, huh?"

"Don't mess with adults, little mister!"

Azzurro reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol, just as I pushed myself up enough to launch myself in front of Ciel and sit up, glaring defiantly.

"We're already keeping your servants waiting." He said, ignoring me for the moment. "Where are the goods? If you don't spill quick, I'll kill your servants one by one, starting with this one here!"

The gun was aimed my way, but it didn't matter to me. I had died once already and if I died again, at least it would be for a good reason.

"It would be nice if cute little puppies were able to play fetch." Ciel said, most certainly with an innocent smile.

Azzurro scoffed, but came over and kicked me hard, knocking me to the ground, before reaching for Ciel, but I sat back up quickly and bit into his hand.

"Argh! You little shit!" He shouted, hitting me again in the head before heading to the phone. "Didn't you hear me? Negotiations are over. Kill him."

I laid on the floor, a bleeding mess, as my vision spun dangerously and black spots began to show up. My breathing was ragged and my whole body hurt, but I was used to this. I often got beat up back home for what I was, but the gun shot was new. Coupled with the adrenaline though, all the pain was hardly anything to worry about. Ciel was more important.

"Alex."

I opened my eyes and glanced at Ciel's blurry figure.

"There's no need for you to continue putting yourself at risk. You're Lau's bodyguard, not mine."

I shook my head as best I could and turned my gaze back to Azzurro, near done cutting through my bonds.

"You don't need any more pain." I muttered quietly.

"You failed?!" Azzurro suddenly yelled. "You useless bastards! This is why you're worth less than shit! I'm through with you. Return at once!"

There was a moment's pause, before the phone practically vibrated as the person on the other end shouted.

"What the hell?!"

"What's wrong? Did a bear show up or something?" Azzurro chuckled, but even I could hear the slightly nervous edge to it. "What's with you guys? Is it something you can't handle?… Cut it out, you bastards!"

More screaming came from the other end of the phone, before it all finally ended.

"Hey… hey! What's wrong?!"

Ciel then began laughing. "It would appear that 'go fetch' has failed."

"Shut up! You stupid brat!" Azzurro went to kick Ciel, but once again, I got in the way.

"Alex!"

I huffed there, on the ground, but gave Ciel a small smile as Azzurro continued to yell in the background.

"Hey! If you don't answer, I'll kill you, you mongrels! Hey!"

There was quiet, until someone spoke over the phone, the person frightening Azzurro enough that he dropped his cigar and it rolled away from him on the ground. There was a bit of talking before Ciel suddenly barked. The person on the other end of the phone spoke louder so we could hear.

"Understood. Right away. I'll come for you and Mr. Lawrence soon. So please wait a bit longer."

Ciel smirked and even I managed a small smirk of my own before we suddenly began hearing gun shots and screaming coming from outside. It went on for a while, but then it got deadly quiet and even Azzurro was beginning to panic. He pulled out his gun and went to pick me up, but I had just gotten lose from my bonds and used my knife to slash him across his cheek.

"You little… Lupo! Attacco!" Azzurro shouted, and I was suddenly forced to remember the Doberman who was also in the room, as it came and attacked me.

Even with the knife, I had trouble dealing with the dog and once I had finally finished it off, I was too exhausted to even move, let alone stand. So I just crumpled against the wall, clothes in tatters and body covered in wounds. I was saved though, by the doors opening and a dark presence making itself known.

"Pardon the intrusion." Sebastian said as he walked in. "I've come to retrieve my master and our temporary bodyguard."

He bowed, and then stood upright as Azzurro stared at him in shock, chuckling madly.

"Haha. I'm surprised. You managed to kill all of those people by yourself. You got us. I was wondering what kind of giant would come, but you're just some tail-coated Romeo."

"S-Sebastian." I gasped out, my head lolling to the side as I struggled to stay conscious.

"Oh dear. Seems they did a number on you, Mr. Lawrence. Yet not a mark on my young master." Sebastian knelt down to me, covering my face with his hand. "You did well." He said, brushing his fingers over my eyelids and closing them. "Now rest. I'll take care of the rest."

And somehow, those words comforted me, allowing me to slip into unconsciousness knowing that Ciel would be alright because now Sebastian was here and, demon or not, he always seemed to make things turn out alright.

* * *

When I finally regained consciousness, I winced as all the pain hit me at once. Groaning, I sat up, placing a hand to my head as the blankets fell off my shoulders, revealing my bandaged shoulder and bruised and scratched abdomen.

"Ah, you're awake."

I cringed as my body involuntarily jumped, jarring my injuries, and I looked over to see Sebastian smiling at me; a cart with medical supplies behind him.

"We were beginning to think you were going to miss dinner. It's a good thing I came to change your bandages, or you might have missed out."

I nodded and moved over to the side of the bed so Sebastian could change my bandages, a slight blush on my cheeks. _Why does he have to be so good looking?_ Of course, Sebastian, being the sadistic jerk that he is, had to make it worse by brushing his gloved finger along my back and shoulder, tracing the Chinese dragon I had tattooed there.

"Quite an interesting design… and this, I'm guessing is a totem to your working with Lau?" He asked, tracing a pale scar that ran just under my ribcage, which had me holding back a shiver.

 _Rat bastard's toying with me!_ I pushed his hand off me with a small frown, not the least bit pleased when he smirked.

"I would like my clothes returned to me now, Mr. Michaelis." I said, sternly.

"But of course." He said, picking up a folded pile of clothing from the bottom shelf of the rack. "I will have you know though, Mr. Lawrence, that I do not follow your commands out of obligation for you, but for my master who asked to make you comfortable for the moment."

I nodded, figuring as much, and took my clothes from him; a bit surprised to find my cap there as well. Getting my pants and cap on was easy enough, but I knew that with my shoulder the way it was, things would be a bit more difficult with my shirt and vest. Begrudgingly, I glared at Sebastian, who smirked, knowingly.

"Yes?"

 _He's so teasing me._ "Could you help me put my shirt and vest on please? It is proving to be difficult with my injury."

He chuckled and took said clothing from me, helping me into them before buttoning my shirt.

"I could've done that." I muttered, rolling up my sleeves.

"Yes, but it's much faster to let me do it, is it not?"

I said nothing as he stood and gestured to the door.

"Now that you are dressed, perhaps some dinner is in order, and the young master wishes to speak with you as well."

I frowned slightly and forced my aching body to stand up off the bed, wincing as my injuries ached in the process, but managed to follow Sebastian out and into the dining hall where Ciel was already sitting in wait, food sitting on a plate before him.

"Young master, I have brought him as you asked." Sebastian said, bowing as I took my seat next to Ciel.

Food was placed before me and I tried not to scarf it down like I wanted to. Just because I worked for Lau didn't mean that I got lavish meals like this. Using what manners I knew, I cut and ate my food piece by piece when Ciel suddenly spoke.

"Hm, for a street rat, you have decent manners."

I glanced up at him, deciding to take what he said as a compliment, and resumed eating. I could tell Ciel was frowning, but I had no idea why until Sebastian chuckled from beside him, refilling his tea.

"Seems he's not one for much conversation, my lord."

"I speak when necessary." I said, not turning my gaze away from my food.

Ciel sipped his tea, eyeing me as I ate, setting the cup back on its saucer calmly.

"I… appreciate what you did."

I nodded. "Welcome."

His eye twitched. "You do understand that you could've died, correct?"

I nodded again and the twitching grew worse before Ciel put a hand to his face.

"Are you an idiot or something?! Does dying not mean anything to you?!" He half-shouted, slamming his hands on the table.

I calmly looked up and then back at the half-finished food on my plate.

"Dying… is not something I enjoy, but I will risk it, if it means saving someone else." I responded, going back to eating.

"But you hardly even know me!"

"You're a 12 year old boy who Lau wanted me to assist. I don't need to know you to want to protect you." I said, a bit harshly, but I needed to get the point across.

I was not doing this for my own personal gain. I was doing it because I wanted to help. That was that. Ciel just seemed to be having a hard time understanding that not everyone is out to get something from him, and I was one of those people.

"It seems as though you have been beat, young master." Sebastian chuckled, quietly.

Ciel frowned, practically glaring at me. "And what about Lau? Would you do this for him as well?"

I nodded. "I would do it for anyone if they were about to be hurt or die before me. I believe there are very few people out there who actually deserve to be physically abused."

Ciel then began laughing and I glanced at him, curiously.

"You're kidding! You're telling me that there is no one to there that you hate? No one that beat you or abused you? Bullied you? Tortured you? Attacked you or anything? That everyone out there deserves to live at the risk of your life whether they've done something horrible or not?!" Ciel shouted before calming himself, hands fisted in the table cloth. "You're telling me you've lived a perfect life your entire life when it's _damn_ obvious you've been through hell and back?!"

I stayed silent, hands clenched around my silverware and eyes cast in shadow.

"Well?! Say something!"

I grit my teeth, baring them in a snarl. "They… They've beat me. Every day they beat me and every night I was attacked. Every bone in my body has probably been broken at least once. My parents are dead, my uncle disowned me, I've been alone the past nine years. I've lost my home three times, I've lost my job fifteen times. I've been sexually harassed by men thirty years older than me, and my only friend killed himself two years ago… I wanted to end it… I wanted to end it so badly." The old scar on my right wrist ached painfully, even as I set my silverware down and stood up from my seat, turning to face Ciel with a furious glare. "But I found something to live for. I will live for others. If they are in danger of being hurt, I will take on that pain and if they are going to die, I will die for them as well. So don't act as though you own me, _Phantomhive_. The only person who owns me is myself and not you nor your butler will take that from me."

With that, I turned and left the room, heading back to the room I woke up in and leaving the stunned boy and his servant behind.

* * *

Sebastian stared down at his master, curiously, wondering what he was going to do after their latest guest had left the room. Oddly enough, Ciel just stood and began walking off.

"Young master?"

"I'm tired, Sebastian. Prepare my bath and get this cleaned up."

Sebastian bowed, but gave the door an odd look once Ciel had left. He had been expecting something a bit more… dramatic. Perhaps Ciel yelling and getting frustrated over what the young bodyguard had said. Even a small chuckle would have worked. But it was apparent that the elder boy's words had some effect on him. Not only that, but Sebastian found this new temporary servant curious in his own way. Sure, he was just another human, hardly anything special. But the way the boy had stayed silent until now made the demon almost _want_ to make him speak. Not speaking when one was mute was one thing, but keeping yourself from speaking simply with willpower was something else entirely. That, and the boy had an odd scent to him. Something different that Sebastian couldn't exactly pinpoint. He seemed unaffected by most events as well. The boy's expressions were carefully schooled into one neutral expression and Sebastian had only seen a hint of emotions cross the boy's face. He managed to tease a light blush from the boy earlier, but even when he was most furious not moments ago, there was only a slight furrow to his brows and a hard edge to his gaze and nothing more.

"He certainly is an interesting human." Sebastian muttered, having just finished drawing Ciel's bath and ordering the other servants to clean up after dinner. _I should check up on him though. He'll probably need help getting out of his shirt again._

Sebastian let out a slight snicker as he remembered earlier and how he managed to fluster the boy, but returned to his usual butler persona as he stood outside Alex's room. He went to knock lightly, but heard a quiet sniffle from the other side of the door. Being the curious demon he was, he opened the door slightly and looked inside to find Alex sitting up on the bed and looking out the window, a hand brushing a pale white scar on his wrist. _Seems he did attempt to take his life once before._ Sebastian took a deep breath then, inhaling the boy's curious scent and the scent of despair that had been mixed in, feeling his eyes glow crimson as he did so.

 _A delicious scent indeed._ He thought, opening his eyes to find a hint of moonlight glancing off a tear that trailed down the lone boy's cheek. Sebastian frowned unknowingly, before closing the door and walking off. Even as a demon, Sebastian knew when it was best to leave someone alone to deal with their human emotions. _He may prove useful however. I wonder what the young master will do._


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, I wasn't required to stay at the Phantomhive manor for very long and was picked up the next day by Lau, who took one look at my appearance and brought his sleeve up to his lips in a chuckle. Unfortunately for me, once he bid the Earl goodbye, we headed back to the docks where I got a punishment more horrible that death. I was forced to do nothing job wise due to my shoulder, which meant no money. And no money meant no livelihood. It also meant severe boredom, to which Lau used to tease me, purposely visiting me and holding things just out of reach. It was a real pain, but was nice to know that he did actually care about my well-being, enough to visit me when he didn't have to. He even brought Ran-Mao over a few times saying that she too was worried.

I was lucky though and my shoulder healed up in no time, giving me the chance to do some over-time at both my jobs to make up the money I lost while injured. Unfortunately, Lau was adamant about getting me to do more training to prevent further injuries and, as much as I appreciated the thought, the training was bordering torture. I wasn't just learning fist-fighting anymore. Lau and Ran-Mao were actually teaching me themselves in Muay Tai. It was a lot harder than it looked and I, more often than not, found myself nursing injuries from that as well. It helped though, no matter how hellish the training was, and I built up more muscle and speed and agility, making me an even more valuable asset to him. As I moved up in the ranks, I was often seen beside Lau and Ran-Mao on business deals and moved on with them to the more underground business deals too. This also meant though, that I had to quit my other job with the blacksmith and that I would be dragged along with Lau when he met up with Ciel the next time.

By now, Lau seemed to know about my hidden annoyance for being around the boy and his butler though and, in his habit of teasing me, decided to go out of his way to try and drag me with him every time he went there. Thankfully, he hadn't quite found an opportunity yet, but I had a bad feeling that he was going to find an excuse to go over there soon and when he started sending me out to gather intel about something familiar, I realized that I'd end up back with Ciel sooner than I thought. _That crime scene he made me go to was a bit much though. I may have seen some gruesome things before, but even that was bordering animalistic._ I sighed, driving the carriage lazily as the man beside me gave me directions.

"Y-You'll want to make a left up here."

I did as he said, thoroughly annoyed with the situation I was currently in. The man who sat beside me was the ever famous flamboyant Grell, though he was very _un-_ flamboyant at the moment. Madam Red was also here, inside the carriage with Lau, talking about who knows what. _Probably politics or something. Boring stuff really._ _Nothing I'm really interested in._

"Right, here." Grell said, and I turned the horses, silently glad that Lau and his underlines taught me how to drive one of these things.

 _I suppose it's also a plus that I like animals so much. Horses in particular. They don't judge people based on appearance or sexual orientation… though I doubt the human population in this day and age will care too much for me when they find out I'm gay._ I let out another sigh and Grell gave me an odd look.

"A-Are you okay? You're sighing a lot."

"I'm fine." I muttered, pulling the reins back as we arrived at Ciel's summer home.

I then climbed down and as Grell was helping Madam Red and Lau out of the carriage, I brushed a hand over the tired horses' faces and glanced around, noticing no other carriage tracks other than our own.

"Cie—" I quickly cut myself off, changing what I said. "The Earl has not arrived yet." I said, catching Lau and Madam Red's attention.

"Oh! Good job, Alex!" Lau said with a smile as Madam Red glanced at me in surprise.

"How did he figure that out?"

I went back to brushing the horse's long face, allowing Lau to answer her question for me.

"A good magician never reveals his secrets." He said smugly, before turning to me. "Alex, could you possibly assist in getting us inside?"

I nodded, leaving the horses in Grell's care and kneeling down to the doorknob of the front door, ready to set my skills to work. If there was anything I was good at in my past life, it was lock-picking. The fact that Lau had me using it so often in this life made things that much easier and it helped me improve on my skills so much so that I didn't leave any trace that I had picked the lock. _Though that might not be true in the eyes of a demon… Let's hope Sebastian doesn't skin me for this later._ The door gave a satisfying click as it opened and I put away my tools and held the door open for Lau, Madam Red, and Grell, who had caught up after putting the horses away. I then grabbed any luggage they had from the carriage and followed after them to one of the drawing rooms, only for them to suddenly follow Madam Red in digging through any crevice in the search for tea leaves. I set their luggage down by the door and headed over to Lau, who was taking the easy way out and searching inside a vase.

"Perhaps the tea leaves would be in the kitchen?"

He glanced at me with a genuinely curious look. "You think so?"

I sweat dropped, dropping my head as my arms hung limply off my knees, crouching at his side. Just then though, I heard the door open as Madam Red began complaining.

"Geeze, where did they put the tea leaves in this house?"

"I can't find them either." Lau chirped, still searching the inside of the same vase.

"Madam Red?! Lau?! Why are you here?!" A young voice suddenly shouted, causing me to lift my head enough to glance boredly in Ciel's direction.

"Ah, he came back so quickly." Madam Red commented, tossing a book over her shoulder with a smirk. "Since my cute little nephew is in London, how could I not come visit you while I'm here?"

I got up with Lau and he suddenly shoved the vase into my arms as he spoke. "Hey, Earl. I've heard that many interesting things happen here."

Sebastian, ever prepared for crazy happenings, smiled with a hand over his chest. "We had no idea guests were coming. I apologize for not accommodating you earlier. I'll go prepare tea for you immediately."

He bowed and went to do that as Ciel went and sat down with a sigh, giving me a glance as I put the vase in its proper place and began picking up the room.

"How are your wounds, Alex?"

I looked over my shoulder, surprised at Ciel speaking to me as I placed a book back on the shelf.

"Fine."

"That's right!" Lau said with a grin. "Alex has been doing good, so don't go breaking him again, Earl. He's not someone I can replace so easy."

I suppose I should've been offended and, in a way I guess I was, but I had learned a lot about Lau after working with him for this long and I knew that this was his way of saying he needed me. That I wasn't like some of his other underlines that he could replace with the drop of a hat. I was… special. And that thought brought a small smile to my face. Unfortunately, he caught this and his grin grew wider before he threw an arm over my shoulder and poked my cheek with a chuckle.

"Was that the hint of a smile, Alex?~"

I rolled my eyes, the action mostly hidden under the rim of my hat. "I can show emotions if I want, Lau."

He laughed as Ciel raised a brow in his seat, Sebastian returning to see the situation I was in and smirking, causing me to feel a bit of heat rush to my face. _Darn him and his demon looks._ He pulled the tea cart beside Ciel and poured a cup, filling the room with the sweet aroma of tea.

"The aroma is nice. What a unique way of steeping" Madam Red commented.

"Today's tea is a Jackson's 'Earl Grey'." Sebastian said, setting a small cake down in front of her.

"It's the same kind of tea, but yet the way you make it makes such a difference. Grell, you should follow his example."

"Y-Yes…"

Sebastian gave Grell the slightest look, but had no time to dwell on anything before Madam Red was feeling him up.

"No matter what, every time I see you, you're still so handsome. Why don't you simply quit working here and come serve me!"

Ciel, thoroughly embarrassed, coughed. "Madam Red!"

"Ah, I'm sorry." She said with a smile, obviously _not_ sorry.

I passed by her, having finished straightening up the room, and stiffened when I felt her feeling _me_ up now.

"Oh!~ Lau, you have a nice one too!"

Lau chuckled at my predicament. "Isn't he? But he's mine, Madam, and you know how I am about sharing."

I felt red creep up my face, the tips of my ears being my only giveaway at the moment, and I headed over to stand behind his seat; away from the touchy Madam Red and just out of reach of his hands should he decide to cope a feel. _I can't say he isn't good looking though. Not as much as Sebastian, but no one could be that amazing._ Tossing my thoughts out the window for now, I focused on the conversation at hand.

"Let's talk seriously now." Ciel said. "I've heard about the case of prostitutes being murdered on the streets lately."

"You mean that's what's been on the news nonstop lately? I know of it. However… what are you planning?"

Ciel uncrossed his legs as Sebastian placed some tea before him. "This isn't just some ordinary case. The killer's ways are very special—No, I should say, abnormal. That's why 'she' is so concerned about it."

"What do you mean?"

Sebastian spoke up then, giving us the finer details, as Ciel cut a piece of his pastry with his fork. "The murdered prostitute was called Mary Ann Nichols. The wounds looked like they were from some kind of sharp tool, using quick cuts, with a painful death."

I felt myself pale slightly, images from the crime scene flashing in the back of my head, but forced myself to not show any sign of my inner turmoil.

"The police and other prostitutes call the murderer, Jack the Ripper." Ciel said. "I just wanted to know the circumstances sooner, so I rushed to London too."

"Fu." Lau chuckled, picking up his cup. "The Queen's watchdogs have already been dispatched, but I'm not interested."

 _Liar. If you weren't interested, you wouldn't have sent me to the crime scene._ I thought, mentally sighing.

"However, do you have the guts to go to the crime scene?"

"What do you mean?"

Lau got up from his seat, advancing on Ciel like a predator. "I smelled a wild beast at the crime scene. Sent little Alex there to check it out for me. This murderer is definitely an abnormal madman. Will you be scared, Earl Phantomhive?" Lau leaned over Ciel, hovering almost dangerously with a hand on his face.

"I came because I was worried about my fiancée. I don't need to answer your pointless questions." Ciel commented back, looking annoyed.

"Not bad." Lau said with a grin. "That look in your eyes is good… though not as good as Alex's."

I felt my lip twitch slightly, until Lau grabbed Ciel and pulled him out of his chair excitedly.

"Then come take a stroll with me!"

"Wait a minute!"

 _He's getting carried away again._ I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Seriously!" Madam Red said with a huff, standing as well. "I rarely ever get to have some afternoon tea with the Earl, but I can't even enjoy it in peace? I want to go too. Lau, where is this crime scene?"

"Don't you know, Madam?… I don't know the way either." He said with a sigh.

"You talk so arrogantly, yet you don't know where it is?!" Madam Red said loudly, before gesturing to me. "You even sent your own person there! How do you not know?!"

"Calm down." Ciel said. "What can you tell us about the scene, Alex?"

I blinked and thought for a moment. "The corpse was mutilated, too much blood to figure out where exactly the wound was. There were police and many others around the scene. Getting a good view was difficult."

"Then what should we do?" Madam Red questioned.

"Earl… you couldn't be…"

"There's no other way." Ciel said, catching on to what Lau was saying, though I questioned if _Lau_ even knew what he was saying. "It's bothersome to meddle in this case, but I can find someone who works on this case"

We left the Earl's summerhouse then, me driving the carriage once more since I knew exactly where we were driving the carriage this time. Though it seemed Lau didn't.

"What is this place?"

I leaned over and whispered to him where we were, and he put a fist to his hand in confirmation.

"Oh!"

I sighed with a small shake of my head as Madam Red began yelling at Ciel.

"Why are you familiar with this kind of place?!"

"Because the person the Young Master knows works as an undertaker."

"An undertaker?"

We all entered the building, my nose twitching slightly at the musty smell of dust and wood, but I had grown slightly used to it at this point, having dealt with the Undertaker many times before in my latest line of work.

"Are you there, Undertaker?"

"Hee hee… I knew that you would come… welcome, Earl…" The Undertaker said, peeking out from a coffin beside Lau, Madam Red, Grell and I. "Do you want to see how it feels to sleep in my custom-made coffin?"

I helped Grell up off the ground—where he had fallen in his shock—as the man smirked and Ciel gave him a bored look.

"I didn't come here to play today."

The Undertaker placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "You don't need to tell me. I know why you came. With just one look, I can tell what's on your mind. Since the Earl went out of his way to visit me, I'll certainly do everything I can to help."

"You know something?" Ciel asked.

"Please take a seat first. I'll go make tea."

Everyone looked around, confused as to where exactly he wanted them to sit, whereas I just sat on top of a coffin with a yawn.

"Hee hee, just follow Alex's example…"

Eyes turned to me and once they saw where I was seated, they reluctantly did the same on their own respectable coffins. The Undertaker soon returned with beaker of tea, passing one to each of us and moving to sit behind his desk and open a jar of bone shaped cookies.

"Now, you wanted to know about Jack the Ripper? Everyone's been scared because of the disturbance, but this isn't the first time I've handled this kind of thing." He said, chomping down on a biscuit.

"Isn't this the first time? What do you mean?" Madam Red asked.

"It's happened before, a case where prostitutes were killed. In fact, the way they were killed was very similar too." He said, getting up and waving his pot of biscuits at Ciel. "Want some?"

Ciel shook his head and the Undertaker pouted before turning to me with a grin.

"You've always like my biscuits, Alex~"

I nodded and took a few from him, ignoring the odd looks I received from a majority of the people in the room as he continued.

"But in the beginning, the police didn't think much of these cases. Though the murdered prostitutes all had something in common."

"Something in common?"

"Well now, I wonder what. I wonder what it is indeed." He said with a chuckle, putting his pot away.

"I see. So that's how it is." Lau said with a smirk. "You're very good at business, Undertaker. How much money do you want for this information?"

I opened my mouth to tell Lau that wasn't what he wanted, but the Undertaker didn't give me a chance.

"How much money?! I don't want any of the Queen's money!" He shouted, getting in Lau's face before he suddenly turned to Ciel. "Now then, Earl, I only have one requirement… show me a first rate laugh! If you do that, then no matter what you want to know, I'll tell you!"

He went off into a little laughing fit, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth as Ciel deadpanned.

"Weirdo."

"Fu, Earl, if that's the case, let me handle this."

I shook my head and sipped at my tea, knowing that Lau had absolutely no sense of humor when he tried.

"The sleeping tiger of the Shanghai New Year's party, also referred to as my soul, this should satisfy you! Do you like it?" He asked, but the Undertaker just stared blankly with everyone else.

"It looks like he still won't talk, Lau." Madam Red said, stepping forward. "It can't be helped. Then I, Madam Red, a beauty of high society, shall make my appearance now. If I ask him, he'll be sure to tell us!"

I quickly grabbed Sebastian's hands and covered Ciel's ears with them, surprising them both, as Madam Red went off to tell some dirty joke that made even me cringe with a red face. Thankfully, the Undertaker muted the two of them and turned to Ciel, Sebastian, and I.

"You're the only one left, Earl. You and Alex, but Alex always tells the best of jokes. Hee hee. The last one was… hee hee… most funny."

I bobbed my head in silent thanks as he went on.

"So no using Alex~ I've helped you many times in the past, can't you be nice to be just this once?"

"Damn." Ciel muttered, but was saved by Sebastian.

"It can't be helped." He said, tugging his glove.

"Oh~ It's the butler's turn now?"

"Everyone, please step outside for a moment." Sebastian said. "You absolutely must not peek inside."

Everyone started filing out, but Sebastian stopped me.

"Except you, Alex."

I stiffened, feeling as though I was going to be dragged into something I'd rather not. Sebastian, probably sensing this, smirked.

"It won't take too long."

I swallowed thickly and closed the door, heading back in extremely worried. I stood beside Sebastian and the Undertaker tilted his head in curiosity. Sebastian smirked and whispered in my ear what he wanted me to do. I immediately turned a bright red and shook my head violently. _There's no way I'm doing that!_ One evilly sweet smirk later had me doing exactly what he said, though it is nothing I would _ever_ repeat again or even mention, and once we had finished, the Undertaker was bursting with laughter. Sebastian went and let everyone in with a smile; the Undertaker doubled over on his desk trying to control himself whereas I was curled up in a corner of the room, emanating depression. I could feel eyes on my back, but ignored them for now as everyone got back to the topic at hand.

"Actually, I've always thought that there weren't enough… guests. Gu, fu."

"No enough?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yes. Not enough… internal organs, of course." Undertaker said, cradling a model of the human body, as I was coaxed out of my depression by Lau. "Don't you think that the eternally sleeping 'guests' that lay in coffins are so cute? My hobby is to take out the organs for research."

Everyone looked down into their beakers that held tea and turned a nice green shade, before setting them aside. I too was a bit sickened, having drank from these beakers numerous times before, forgetting that they were possibly used for the Undertaker's… experiments.

"This could have stored a kidney before, right?" Lau said, covering his mouth, looking slightly sick. "A criminal could've given it to a loan shark."

"It also could've come from the slums of China." The Undertaker quipped, making Lau a bit angry, which automatically had me tensing slightly. "That prostitute isn't a whole woman anymore. Because her womb is gone."

Ciel looked mildly surprised as the undertaker went on.

"Recently, these kinds of 'guests' have been rapidly increasing. Their whole bodies dripping with blood… it's made me very busy."

"Let's just say that there aren't very many people out on the streets late at night, but accurately cutting out specific organs couldn't be done by a regular person, right?"

 _It has to be a professional._ I mused, already knowing exactly who was responsible, but knowing better than to act on impulse and just spout out what I already knew. _The specific details are getting a bit fuzzy though._ I let out a silent yawn, briefly sending a glance over at Madam Red, when I suddenly realized the Undertaker was behind me. He slipped an arm over my shoulder, making me tense and eye him with a glare as he placed another across my abdomen.

"If he had to act within such a short time, he should slit the throat first." The Undertaker dragged a long fingernail across my throat, tickling the skin underneath his hand. "And proceed to cut open the stomach."

I felt him press down slightly on my stomach and tensed even more, hand already reaching to grab my gun.

"It's easier to succeed this way. From the looks of the culprit's work, that cruel accuracy definitely wasn't carried out by a normal citizen. It had to be someone experienced. You should've been able to figure that out too, Alex~"

He moved his hand towards my face and poked my cheek as I quickly slid my gun out and brought the muzzle of it under his chin, surprising a majority of the room with the sheer speed I pulled it out.

"Fufu, you upset him, Undertaker." Lau chuckled, hardly seeming surprised. "Little Alex there doesn't take too kindly to being touched."

The Undertaker just grinned, the light reflecting off his green eyes hidden under his bangs for a split instance as he released me and rose his hands in surrender.

"Hehe, of course."

I hid my weapon back in the waistband of my pants and plopped down in a shaded corner of the room, desperately hoping that Sebastian's eye sight wasn't good enough to have seen the red tint to my cheeks after what the Undertaker did. _It's like everyone in this show is ridiculously good-looking! Those eyes…_ I clenched my fist, feeling my nails dig into my palm as my stomach churned. _But I still hate being touched…_ I noticed everyone was getting ready to leave, and got up as well, as Ciel gave one last little speech.

"The world of darkness has the world of darkness's rules. He wouldn't murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind." Ciel said as Sebastian put on his coat. "I won't be scared; no matter what tricks the Queen's lackeys want to use, I will solve them all. Sorry for intruding, Undertaker."

We all headed out to the carriage and I climbed up into the driver's seat, waiting for Grell to join me before heading off. I was kind of spacing out as I drove, thinking about everything and nothing all at once, but I was startled when the carriage door suddenly opened and Grell grabbed the reins in a panic. _I hardly flinched! What's he thinking, grabbing a hold of the reins?!_

"Grell!" I scolded, but he was too busy watching Sebastian as he poked his head up with a grin at us both.

"Alex, please drive the horse carriage back safely."

I glared at the man, though could tell the tips of my ears were probably red, when Sebastian suddenly dropped off the carriage and disappeared. Thankfully, that caught Grell's attention and I was able to pry his hands off the reins and straighten the carriage as his actions had caused us to almost go off the road.

"Hey! Be careful up there!"

"Apologies!" I called back. " _Someone_ grabbed the reins."

Grell ducked his head, face red in shame. "S-Sorry."

We managed to arrive in one piece, though we took a bit longer than expected due to Grell grabbing the reins earlier and forcing us to take another route.

"Ha, we're finally back home." Lau said, relieved. "Let's first have a cup of afternoon tea and rest, oka—"

Lau cut himself off upon opening the door and finding Sebastian standing there and bowing.

"Welcome back. I've been waiting for everyone for a while." He said, taking Ciel's hat. "Black tea has already been prepared, today's desert is a European pear and blackberry buckle." He then turned to me with a smirk. "I have also prepared you something to eat in the servant's quarters as well, Alex, under the assumption that you haven't yet eaten anything."

I nodded my head, silently thankful that he had made me something since I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

"Hold on!" Madam Red suddenly said. "How did you get back here?!"

Sebastian smiled innocently. "What? Didn't I say I had things to do? I rushed back home first."

"By 'things to do' you mean, you already created a blacklist?!"

I quietly sighed and leaned over to ask Lau if I could go eat the meal Sebastian prepared for me. He gave me permission and I went ahead and asked one of the servants who were nearby, if they could show me to the servant's quarters. It was Mey-Rin and, red faced and flustered, she nodded and led me away. When we reached the kitchen where my food was, I arrived to find Bardory and Finnian hovering over my plate of food with drool hanging precariously from the corners of their mouths.

"A-Ah! We have a guest, we do!" Mey-Rin announced, allowing me to walk in behind her as she joined the others.

Bard eyed me cautiously. "Hm? And who's he?"

"Alex." I replied, and Finny's face fell.

"Aw! That means we can't eat the food!" He wailed, looking up at Bard with sad eyes. "Mr. Sebastian said it was for him and not to touch it!"

"But we don't even know this guy!" Bard said loudly, waving an arm in my direction as though I wasn't there.

"B-Bard! You shouldn't say that! H-He's right there!" Mey-Rin said, eyeing me nervously and tugging on Bard's sleeve as I rolled my eyes and sat at the counter and began eating.

"Oi!"

Bard seemed to have noticed me ignoring him, and slammed his hands down on the table beside me, looking angered. I briefly looked up at him from under the brim of my hat, before taking another bite of my food and shifting my gaze back down.

"I'm talkin' to you!"

"I know." I replied, too hungry to really care how I sounded at the moment.

When he grabbed my shirt though and pulled me out of the chair, I began to think I should've realized how uncaring I sounded.

"Could you let go?" I asked, glancing at my food before back at him as he chewed angrily on his cigarette.

"The hell I can." He growled. "Now why don't you explain who ya are and what you're doing here."

I was also getting angry now, the lack of food and amount of touching I had to deal with today being a bit much for me and I decided enough was enough. I grabbed Bard's arm and pinched a nerve in his wrist, forcing him to release my shirt as I spun him around and slammed him into the counter; arm pinned behind his back and my gun pointed at the back of his head. Mey-Rin and Finny tensed, but I could care less at the moment and I frowned ever so slightly.

"I simply wish to eat in peace, before I return to guarding my boss." I said, loud enough that the three of them could hear. "I don't appreciate being _touched_. I hope you'll remember that."

Leaving it at that, I released Bard and hid my gun, moving and sitting back at the table to finish my meal. The three of them stayed away from me after that and, though I wasn't trying to make enemies with them, I really was in no mood to deal with much more today without my usual outlet of fighting and meditating. Once I finished my breakfast, I sighed and left the room to return to the lounge where Lau was at, entering and taking my place behind his chair with a small nod as Sebastian had stopped speaking upon my entering.

He cleared his throat, looking at a paper in his hands. "To be 'a doctor and knowledgeable about anatomy'. To 'have no alibi on the day before the incident'. Followed with 'being connected to a secret society or black magic'. There is only one person who fits this criteria. The Viscount Druitt, Lord Aleister Chamber."

I felt a shiver rack my frame at his name, having never liked the man, but also felt a sense of foreboding.

"Although he graduated from medical school, he has never worked at a hospital before, and he has not been involved in this profession. He had also hosted a number of seasonal parties, but there is a rumor that he has hosted parties where only those close to him could attend."

"Viscount Druitt, huh…" Madam Red commented. "Now that you mention it, I do recall he's been into black magic quite recently."

Lau lowered his cup of tea. "So he is suspected of carrying out some sort of ceremony at that 'secret party' and to use those prostitutes as altar sacrifices?"

Ciel hummed, fork in his mouth, seemingly agreeing.

"At the 19th hour today, Viscount Druitt will be hosting a party. The seasonal period will be ending soon, I believe tonight would be the best time to go and investigate." Sebastian said.

"Madam Red." Ciel placed his fork on his empty plate. "Because of this reason, can you think of something?"

She smirked. "Aren't you underestimating me? Aren't I rather popular? A few words here and there, and it'll be arranged."

"It has been decided then." Ciel said. "No matter what, I must get into that 'secret party'. You will not be going in the name of Phantomhive, so you must use this chance properly. There's only one chance!"

Madam Red chuckled, getting up and strangling Ciel in a hug. "You're so cute when you're determined!"

Ciel flushed red in embarrassment and demanded she release him as I sighed quietly, unfortunately catching Lau and Sebastian's attention.

"What's wrong, Alex? Aren't you having fun?" Lau smirked, leaning his head back to look up at me from his seat.

"Not especially." I muttered, taking a glance at Sebastian. "I seemed to have upset your companions as well."

"I see. I'll be sure to clear up any misunderstandings." Sebastian said, though he eyes me with a smirk, making me uncomfortable. "Do you own a suit, Alex?"

I stiffened. _Oh no. He's not implying what I think he is, is he?_ "N-No."

He brought a hand to his chin, making a face. "We can't have that. Not when you'll be attending the party with us."

This caught Madam Red's attention as well as Ciel's.

"Just find him something quick, Sebastian." Ciel said with a wave of his hand.

"Oh no!" Madam Red announced, hurrying towards me and making me nervous as she walked around me like a predator. "He'll need something especially nice. With his physique and curves… Hm, but the color…"

Suddenly, the cap that was on my head was whipped off and my eyes widened, spotting said article in Madam Red's hands.

"Oh my! What a fabulous shade of red!"

Ciel sighed, dropping his face into his hand as Lau snickered at my misfortune.

"I have just the thing." Sebastian smirked, making me swallow nervously.

 _I just hope this will turn out better than I think it's going to… The last thing I need is to draw attention to myself._


	3. Chapter 3

"I-Is this really necessary?" I complained, face flushed as I felt the fabric of Sebastian's gloves brush over the skin of my neck. "A-Ah! Don't!"

"Ah, it's far too tight." He sighed.

"I could've told you that! Let me do it!"

"Do you even know how? You're just going to make a mess of everything."

My face grew redder. "Y-Yeah, well… Shut it."

Sebastian snickered as we exited the carriage to find a few red faced people scurry off as Sebastian began straightening my ruffled clothes, and I realized what it might have sounded to others when he was helping me fix the white cravat. As we headed over to where Ciel and the others were, I cringed at his sudden yelling.

"Why would I like it?!"

"Oh my, oh my. A lady should not be shouting so loudly." Sebastian mocked, using a finger to push up his glasses as I pulled on a pair of white gloves, not overly excited about my appearance, but not too disappointed either.

What can I say? Sebastian has good taste. It was just a simple black over coat, grey vest, and white undershirt with a red rose tucked into the pocket, but judging by the looks I was receiving from passerbys and the people in our group, I must have looked pretty good.

"Lau's role is my lover, Ciel is my niece from the country, Sebastian is my niece's home tutor, Alex is my nephew, and Grell can be as he is." Madam Red said, having caught my attention once more.

"So…" Ciel growled, face red. "Why is my role as your niece?! Even Alex got a better role!"

I raised a brow, bored, but no one paid me any mind.

"Because I've always wanted a daughter! A cute daughter who would look lovely in those long flowing dresses! And Alex is just as handsome of a nephew as I could ever have!"

I suddenly remembered then why Madam Red became Jack the Ripper with Grell. _She was just lonely… She wanted a child of her own and believed these women were going out and mistreating the gift that she didn't have._ I felt myself frown a bit at the thought, when something black was plopped over my head. Tilting the top hat up to uncover my eyes, I gave Sebastian a glare as he smiled.

"Can't have you standing out too much."

I scoffed as he turned to Ciel and held out a hand.

"Then shall we go, my lady?"

We entered the bustling building and I felt a headache begin to form, eyes scanning the large room and finding far too many openings for things such as thieving and burglary. _Even assassination… I've been working for Lau too long._

"Everything alright, Alex?"

I jumped a bit, Sebastian's face too close for my liking, but tried to keep calm and not reach for the gun in my waistband.

"Fine. I just have a headache." I muttered as Madam Red got fired up and Ciel began complaining.

"It's terrible. It's heavy. This dress. It's painful. My feet. I want to go back. I really do not want my fiancée to see me like this."

I smiled a bit, leaning over to get a nice view of his frustrated face. "Could be worse."

He turned to me with a glare. "And _what_ could possibly make this worse?"

I shrugged, standing upright. "You could be an _actual_ girl and have to wear dresses like that on a daily basis… Or you could be spotted by your fiancée over there."

His eyes widened as he heard Lizzy not far away chattering up a few women and when he and Sebastian turned and spotted her, they began to panic.

"A-Alex! Why didn't you say anything sooner?!" He whispered harshly.

"M-My lady, please be quieter!" Sebastian whispered back. "Let's go that way first."

"Ah!" Lizzy suddenly called out, having spotted Ciel. "That dress that child is wearing is so cute!"

They managed to dive behind a large cake before she spotted them and I heartily took a piece and ate it calmly as Ciel glared at me.

"What are you doing?!" He whispered as loudly as he could without causing a scene. "You're supposed to be helping! If people find out I'm dressed like this, it'll be the ultimate humiliation for the Phantomhive family!"

He was beginning to panic, but quickly calmed down when a lady nearby mentioned the Viscount.

"Viscount Druitt is so handsome tonight! His light golden hair is like gold thread!"

"So he's Viscount Druitt."

I nodded, cutting a piece off the slice of cake I had. "Yes. Quite the ladies' man, if I remember right."

"You know him?"

I gave Ciel a look. "You find out many things in Lau's business."

Ciel frowned and turned to Sebastian behind him. "I'm going over to greet him."

"If there's a man beside you, he'll have his guard up. So Alex and I will be waiting here for you." Sebastian said. "Please act like a lady according to what I have taught you."

Unfortunately for Ciel, Lizzy had spotted him once more and while Sebastian went to go save him, I waved over a waiter holding drinks and gestured to Lizzy.

"Would you please give a glass of lemonade to that young lady over there?"

"Certainly." He said, heading over and distracting Lizzy for now as I took my own red wine from off his tray.

Not long afterwards, I moved to the other side of the room where I was immediately surrounded by women asking me to dance as the music started up. Being as kind as I could, I turned them down one after the other, trying to keep an eye on Ciel and Sebastian from across the room. They seemed a bit stuck and so I grabbed one of the ladies who asked me to dance, one who seemed a little more tolerable and less talkative and asked her hand to dance. I hadn't been taught by Lau or anything like that. On the contrary, I had learned a number of dance styles in my old world, having taken the opportunity while I was in school to find some stress relievers and dancing seemed to do it best.

Needless to say, I managed to get over to where Sebastian and Ciel had finished their dancing, Ciel having collapsed in exhaustion. I noticed Sebastian leaving and when the Viscount came over I took my chance to intervene.

"Ah! Are you alright, sister?!"

The Viscount turned to me as I hurried over and, although I could see Ciel was glaring at me for ruining his chance, I ignored him.

"Are you this little blue jay's brother?"

I nodded, putting on a shy childish sort of act, forcing my face to heat up. "I'm v-very sorry, sir. I-I'm supposed to be watching her, but I've become a bit tired of all the dancing and dining. You are as well, right sis?"

Ciel nodded, seeing what I was doing. The Viscount though, smirked, sending shivers up my spine.

"You are quite a stubborn one, blue jay. You too, little robin."

I swallowed, having recognized the change in nicknames from the plot, but also from the fact that the Viscount had taken both of us by the waist and drew us in closer, making me sick to my stomach.

"Do you two wish to do more pleasurable things?"

I swallowed, but forced myself to speak up, ignoring the flashes of memories from my past. "A-Ah, um… then the Viscount is knowledgeable of these pleasurable things?"

He smirked, eyes staring at me hungrily before shifting to Ciel and taking his chin in his hand. "Why of course! If it is you two, then your cries would be so sweet, my dear blue jay and robin."

"What is this pleasurable thing?" Ciel asked, playing the act well, though I knew that he was just as sickened as I was.

"You wish to know?"

I spotted Lizzy coming and nodded, standing beside Ciel. "We really want to know."

"For you, little blue jay, it might be too early…" The Viscount shifted his gaze to me. "And for you, it might be too different for you to handle."

"I-I… have already…" I muttered, face red, though I was forced to swallow the bile rising in my throat.

"I'm already a lady, Viscount." Ciel spoke up, just as the song ended. "Can you not tell Madam Red?"

"Of course!" He then noticed Ciel had been watching Lizzy and turned his face back around. "You seem to have been troubled by something since a while ago?"

"Eh?!"

I could see Ciel was in a pinch, but before I could act, Sebastian swooped down and began his performance. The Viscount was a bit confused, but went along with it, and Ciel took his chance.

"Viscount, I am tired of watching these shows too. So…"

"I understand, my blue jay! Let me escort you and your brother to somewhere more private."

He led the two of us down a hall that had been curtained off. Once we entered the hall, Ciel began whispering to me angrily.

"What did you think you were doing?! You could've ruined everything!"

"But I didn't." I said back, voice clipped as I continued to try and keep my emotions hidden. "Sebastian or not, I wasn't going to leave you to deal with him on your own."

"Why do you always do this?! Before too, with Azzuro—"

"Right in here." The Viscount said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cloth to cover his nose just as we entered and got a full whiff of a fragrance. Ciel was almost immediately unconscious, but I had managed to hold my breath and took in as little of the fragrance as I could, but the Viscount wasn't having that and slammed something over my head, knocking me out.

* * *

" _Did you get him?"_

" _Sure did!"_

Who are these voices?

" _Hey! The faggot's waking up!"_

 _I opened my eyes, blinking them to try and get rid of the fogginess in my vision, but regretted it upon seeing the group of grinning punks from my school._

" _What do you want?" I grumbled, head pounding as I remembered someone hitting me and dragging me into an alleyway on my way back from school._

" _Nothing much."_

" _Yeah. We just wanted to confirm something."_

 _I scrunched my eyes closed, trying to shake my head clear of the fog, but only succeeding in making my headache worse._

" _I-I don't know what you're talking about."_

" _Yeah right!"_

" _We know all about it!"_

" _You fuck guys, right? You faggot!"_

" _Stop calling me that." I muttered, but a guy kicked me in the face, knocking me onto my side._

" _I'll call you whatever I want! Faggot!"_

 _They began laughing, but what they said next had me swallowing a lump in my throat._

" _Hey! Get the rope! Tie him up good!"_

" _What are you doing?" I demanded, watching as a guy came over with some rope and another held me down as they strengthened my bonds and tied my wrists and ankles together. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"_

 _The main guy snickered. "Nothing much. We just want to see you at work."_

" _Wha—"_

 _I was cut off as they grabbed me and forced me to kneel in front of one guy, who began lowering his pants._ No… Don't…

" _Go on! Do it, faggot!"_

 _I kept my mouth firmly closed, biting my lip so hard that it began to bleed, until someone yanked on my hair, tugging my head back as I involuntarily opened my mouth in a gasp. It was the worst possible experience and even after that, they weren't done. They wanted more and I didn't have enough strength to fight back as they beat me and slammed me into a table, two guys holding me down as the other…_ Stop… Please… _My cries were pointless. No one could hear me. There was no God out there wanting to save me. And once they finally had enough, I was left there, tied up, unable to move or do anything other than pity myself…_

* * *

I awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring off my body in buckets and tears falling freely from my eyes as I scanned the area I was in in a panic. Unfortunately, I was blindfolded and couldn't see, but I could hear. I could hear everything. People breathing in a packed room, the soft scratching of shoes on the floor, and the quiet breathing of someone not far from me. And then, I heard voices.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please quite down. Next are the items that everyone has been anticipating. Please look at them carefully."

There was a rustle of fabric and the crowd grew excited, whereas my heart pounded erratically, breathing coming in short gasps as heat burned my eyes.

"You may choose to keep them in the cage or you could play with them as much as you wish, or use them in a ceremony. Or parts of them could be sold according to what the customer prefers." The Viscount said, his voice clearly distinguishable from the rest. "These are hard to get items! Her eyes are bright and beautiful, the color of the sea, yet with a deep contrasting color of the forest. And his, hair as red as flame and eyes the deep green color of fresh grass with flakes of gold dusting the iris. Now, I will proceed to show everyone. The starting bid is 1000!"

The blindfold was removed from my eyes and as the bidding went higher, I felt myself panting, vision getting blurry as panic welled up. I hardly noticed Ciel beside me having his own blindfold removed and the words he spoke. All I could hear, was the voices of those guys and what they did to me. The lights suddenly went out, but that did not quell the disgusted anger within me. My breathing was getting even more frantic and I saw something hovering over me, reaching a hand out towards me and with unknown strength, I ripped the bonds on my hands and pulled out my gun, the barrel pointed between the man's eyes.

"Oh? He seems to be in a panic, young master. What should I do? Should I attempt anything, he may cause harm to himself."

The eyes didn't move from my shaking form and my eyes didn't shift from him.

"Well, do _something_. We don't have much more time."

"Very well." The eyes shifted to the left just slightly and I took a chance, tackling the figure and wrapping a hand around his throat, squeezing as tightly as I could.

"Now is that any way to treat someone who helped you, Alex?" He said, voice smooth and feeling almost laced with velvet.

It was as though I was slowly being drugged by what he was saying and I found myself panting and loosening my grip on his throat as the barrel of my gun shook above his face. Tears burred my vision as they continued to fall and I struggled to keep from outright sobbing as my eyes searched his crimson ones fearfully.

"Alex."

He reached a hand up, making me flinch back fearfully, but he just placed it over my eyes.

"Come now. A bodyguard for someone as prominent as Lau should not be making such a face."

My lips quivered and my hands fell limp at my sides as I choked on a sob, not caring that I was sitting on Sebastian's waist or that I had attempted to kill him or anything else. All I could feel was fear. A dark, quaking fear that had overtaken my body and…exhaustion. _I'm tired… So tired…_

"Then sleep."

And I did, slipping into a darkness so black that not even nightmares could penetrate it.

* * *

I awoke with a start, sweat dripping off my form as I discovered that I was in an unknown bed. I looked around the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, when a flash of lightning lit up the room, thunder rattling the windows. _A storm…_ I remembered what had happened and shivered, not from cold—though the fact that I was only wearing my pants for some reason, should've made me cold. No, I shivered because of the disgusting feeling, just _remembering_ what those guys did to me. _It's late… Sebastian must have brought me back._ I looked out the window and sighed, getting out of the bed and heading over to it. I undid the latch and pushed it open, allowing the wind to ruffle the curtains and rain to brush against my face, easing the disgusting feeling I had been feeling, ever so slightly.

Lightning streaked across the sky, spreading out like talons and striking the ground some ways off as I sat on the window sill, legs dangling below me as I stared out into the darkened night. _I need to stop remembering those things… They serve me no purpose other than torture me at the worst moments. They aren't here in this world anyway. These people are better than them._ An image of the Viscount came to mind and I scowled, a small canine flashing in the glow of another strike of lightning. _Some of them, anyway… They don't need to know though. Ciel, Sebastian, Madam Red, Grell… They don't need to know this about me. They don't need to know_ me _. I'm not even_ from _here. Maybe, one day, I'll just poof back to that dreadful world and they won't remember me… Or maybe I'll die doing a job for Lau smuggling something… Or smoking…_

I turned, noticing my things laid off to the side on a small end table and I headed over, digging through my shirt and pulling a pipe and some supplies out of a secret sewn-in pocket. It took a moment to finally get it lit and once it was, I put the other tools away and took my pipe back over to the window sill, where I took my seat leaning up against the window frame—a leg dangling over the edge and my elbow propped up on the other—and took a deep breath, letting the smoke out where it flew away with the breeze. I spent a nice moment to myself like this, enjoying the euphoric effects of the opium, when a voice spoke.

"You're going to catch a cold."

I didn't so much as flinch, I was that relaxed. Even when he spoke again, I didn't spare him a glance.

"I didn't expect you to be a smoker." He mused as I lifted the pipe away from my mouth to blow out the smoke. "You don't show the usual signs and I assumed the hint of the smell was carried over from your profession."

"I try not to make a habit of it." I muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain.

"I see."

Things grew quiet as I heard him step lightly over the floor, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as he grew closer and reached out towards me. It only took a split second for me to have a knife slipped out of my sleeve and pointed at his throat, a glare settled onto my face as he smirked smugly.

"Don't touch me." I growled, blowing smoke in his face before turning away and hiding my knife. "I'm not in the mood."

"But I've been ordered to take care of you, for the moment, Alex. My master seemed to have taken a great interest in you. He's intrigued."

"Just another toy for him to play with." I muttered quietly. "Then he'll get bored and toss me away like the child he is. It's a shame I won't play along."

"On the contrary." Sebastian said, passing me a towel as I put out my pipe and left the window sill. "He seems to think you enjoy it… Playing the game."

I took the towel, drying my hair and torso, and draping it around my neck before grabbing a hot cup of tea Sebastian had prepared and sipping it; enjoying how it mixed with the taste of opium still lingering on my tongue.

"I hardly enjoy it." I complained, turning towards him as he shut the windows. "My employer just seems to like torturing me into dealing with you and your master."

He chuckled, sounding amused. "Yet I seem to recall you sacrificing yourself to protect the young master. You can't hate us as much as you say."

I frowned, setting the tea aside and moving to put on my clothes that were resting on the end table beside the bed. "I've already explained this to you. I don't like repeating myself. Especially not to someone as demonic as you."

I winced, realizing my error as the atmosphere seemed to grow tense, mentally begging in my head that he didn't notice the slip up and doing my best to just play it off.

"Ciel's pretty demonic too." I said as calmly as I could with a shrug, though in reality I just wanted to run away and hide from the demon behind me. "I believe that's the _second_ time he's gone out and dragged me into something, and I'm not even his servant. I'd hate to see how he treats you and the other servants here."

I finished fixing my attire and stretched with a yawn, turning to grab my cap and head towards the door.

"You can tell him thanks for all this though. But, I should probably go check up on Lau. Most likely, he's doing something idiotic."

I went to open the door, when a hand slammed into it, holding it firmly closed as I tensed.

"You are different, Alex." He said, his hot breath brushing over my ear and neck. "However, _different_ isn't always a good thing. It draws unwanted attention to oneself and causes… _tension_."

I felt the coldness of his fingers slide up the side of my neck, knowing that he would be easily capable of snapping my neck right there and an involuntary shiver racked my spine.

"I intend to stay as unnoticed as possible, Sebastian." I said, somehow managing to keep my voice from shaking. "And, if possible, I wish to avoid any and _all_ conflict with you and the other Phantomhive servants. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own boss to attend to."

I pulled the door open and left as confidently as I could, not easing up until I had found the room where Lau was, dropping my tense posture upon seeing that he was alone, and slumping in a chair as I pulled my hand through my hair.

"Oh? Something wrong, Alex? It's rare I see you this flustered." Lau cooed, sauntering over and wrapping his arms around my neck and torso; more as a comfort than anything else.

"It's nothing… Just unwanted memories and… nosy butlers."

He chuckled, letting me go and looking down at me as he waved a hand to the door. "Come. Let us speak somewhere more private."

I got up with a nod and followed him as he led me to his room, more than comfortable with speaking to him about everything because, to me, he was the big brother I could talk to that I never had. And he would be the _only_ one who knew my secrets.

* * *

I shivered, lips turned up in a snarl as I hugged my thin clothes to my body. _I can't believe Lau made me come with them. 'You'll have fun with the little Earl' my arse. It's bloody freezing! And I didn't bring my coat on this little trip of his._

"So cold…" I heard Ciel chatter out beside me, also dressed rather lightly.

"Even if it's a poor area and even if my normal clothes attract attention, the clothes you're wearing now are not enough, right?" Sebastian commented, beginning to unbutton his coat. "And it looks like it's about to rain too."

I glanced up at the sky, with a frown. _It better not freaking rain. I don't need to be sick on top of everything else._ I noticed how Ciel turned down Sebastian's offered coat and silently hoped that this killer would just turn up so I could get warm again. _Ah, but isn't the killer someone I should know? Hm… who was it again?_ I skimmed through my old memories before finding what I was looking for and my frown grew deeper as I glanced in Ciel's direction. _That's right… Madam Red and Grell… Should I do anything? I originally didn't want to mess up the plot, but… for Ciel to lose the one person he has left…_

Ciel suddenly turned to me with a scowl. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I blinked out of my trance and turned away, pulling my cap a bit lower over my eyes. "Nothing. Sorry."

"Hmph."

Ciel turned back to Sebastian and began talking about what we were doing, though being careful of what he said since I was nearby. _Who knows what he'd think if he knew I already knew all about this…_

"If we stand here on guard, that guy will really come, right?"

"Mm, because there's only one entrance, and this is also the only path." Sebastian said.

Ciel glanced around the corner. "So the murderer's next target is Mary Kelly, who lives in that room?"

"Yes. I've told you many times, I haven't got it wrong."

I brought my icy hands up in front of my mouth, breathing hot air onto them as I rubbed them together, hoping to get some warmth flowing in them again.

"It's true that apart from missing their internal organs, they also have 'something in common'." Ciel said, looking down. "However, must that person really need to go around killing people? And also I—"

I suddenly heard a meow and turned to see Sebastian holding a cat, to which Ciel yelled at him and I snickered.

"Did you listen to me, Sebastian?!"

"Ah, I'm so sorry."

They argued a bit and Sebastian soon released the cat and it wasn't too long after that, that we all suddenly heard an ear-rattling scream. The three of us rounded the corner in shock and headed towards the door. Ciel pushed the door open, but I quickly stood in front of him, struggling to keep from throwing up right there at the sight of the mutilated body. Ciel, thankfully, hadn't seen the carnage and Sebastian pulled him back and covered his eyes.

"Don't look!"

Rain began to drizzle down as Sebastian kept Ciel upright, the scent of blood strong enough to rattle anyone's nerves and I was forced to turn away and choke on bile, unable to hold back my breakfast any longer and hurling off to the side. I wasn't pleased with this, Sebastian certainly mocking me not a foot away, and I quickly wiped the edge of my mouth as he spoke.

"That was rather over the top. It's all over the floor."

I glared at Sebastian for that, knowing he was only saying it to see if I would react to the words, and I reached under my shirt for my gun as Grell stepped out into the light.

"Jack the Ripper… No, Grell Sutcliff."

"N-No, this is… I heard cries, and when I got here, it was already…" Grell tried to reason, but Sebastian was having none of it.

"Already… what? We were always right outside the only route. Just how did you manage to get into the same hotel as the deceased? Do you still plan on pretending in the state you're in? Isn't it enough, Mr. Grell… No, even Grell Sutcliff must be a fake, right?" Sebastian turned to me then with a smile. "Ah, Alex? If you stay any longer, the things you see may not be comprehendible. So I suggest leaving now, if you plan on becoming a liability."

I scowled at him, pulling out my pistol and aiming it at Grell. "Like I'll leave the Earl in that state. Besides, if you wanted to say that, you shouldn't have let me come in the first place."

He smiled. "True. Now then. Please stop the act, Mr. Grell. I must say, it's the first time I've encountered a 'human like you'. Didn't you act so convincingly?"

Grell's expression suddenly changed, as I knew it would, and he began removing his disguise; ribbon, glasses, hair dye, and all.

"Heh, is that so? That's correct! I'm an actress~ And a top rate one, at that! But aren't you the same, 'Sebastian'?"

"This is the name young master gave me. I am 'Sebastian' at the present."

Grell put on a new pair of glasses with a grin. "Oh, the role of a faithful dog! Even though a handsome man as a loyal dog is also rather nice~ Then allow me to introduce myself, Sebastian. No… Little Sebast. I am the butler of the Barnett family, Grell Sutcliff! We're both butlers, so hello~"

Grell blew a kiss at him, making him shiver in what I assumed was disgust, when Grell turned to me.

"And the other handsome devil with wondrous red hair. It's a shame you're part human."

I blinked, confused. "What?" _Only_ part _human?_

Grell blinked back, placing a finger to the edge of his jaw line and tilting his head to the side. "Oh? You didn't know? That's interesting. It's too bad I can't figure out what the rest of you is." He suddenly snapped his head back to Sebastian. "Ah, but it's so nice I can finally appear before you two in my real form! Because isn't it embarrassing to appear before a handsome guy without makeup? Heh, it was my first time seeing a demon as a butler, so I was very surprised at first!"

"This, aren't you the same?" Sebastian said, smugly. "I've lived long enough, I've never heard of 'that kind of person' becoming a butler. You, who should have stayed neutral between God and humans, shinigami. On the other hand, you are more or less a 'god'. Why did you choose to become a butler?"

"Don't say it like that!" Grell complained, though an evil grin still stretched across his face. "Oh, right. I've been captivated by a woman."

Sebastian's smug grin disappeared, leaving a serious expression in its wake. "That woman is?"

"You don't really have to ask, do you, Sebastian?" Madam Red said as she walked out of the shadows.

Ciel lifted Sebastian's hand away from his eyes as I looked between everyone in fake confusion. _Well, anime or not, this is a really awkward situation. Sebastian being revealed a demon, Grell being revealed a shinigami, Madam Red being revealed a serial killer and myself apparently only part human. Would make for one hell of a family reunion._

"Madam Red…" Ciel said softly.

"My calculations were wrong." She replied. "Who would have thought the person to uncover Grell's real identity would be someone by your side, Ciel."

"From the very beginning, your name was in the list of suspects." He explained. "However, Madam Red, your alibi was really quite perfect."

"How terrible, Ciel. You would suspect one of your own?"

"As long as there is a possibility, I don't care whether that person is a blood relative or a friend. In the list of suspects, any 'human' could not have done it. The same goes for you, of course. But if the co-criminal was 'not human' then that is a different matter. To be able to access Mary's room without us noticing, you should have the ability to go to the murder scene from the Viscount's place, right?"

I shivered at the Viscount's mention, though perhaps it was from the cold, but either way, I stayed silent and tried not to get too jittery.

"And then, to disappear from the party for a few minutes," Ciel continued. "Is something people would not notice. The ones able to be Jack the Ripper, would be the both of you. Madam Red and also, Grell Sutcliff!"

Madam Red kept a blank expression, whereas Grell continued to smirk and I shuffled quietly in place as Ciel basically went over all the information we had gathered about this case. _He just keep talking, doesn't he? No offense, Ciel, but it's bloody freezing!… but… what did Grell mean when he said I was only part human? I-I'm_ all _human, as far as I know. What else could I be? Have I always been only part human? Or… could this be because I'm not from here…_

"How unfortunate, Sebastian." Madam Red finally said, looking sad. "My cute nephew… my sister's son… If you hadn't discovered this, we could have still played chess together… however…" Her face went mad with rage then and I noticed Grell move just out of the corner of my eye. "I'm not going to go easy on you anymore!"

Grell launched himself and his chainsaw at Ciel, but Sebastian and I got between them; Sebastian grabbing the weapon between his palms and myself already having loaded my gun, a packet of gun powder held between my teeth.

"W-What is that?" Ciel asked in shock.

"In order to capture souls, all shinigami have their own tool. It's called a shinigami scythe." Sebastian explained. "I've only seen this sort of thing for the first time. The shinigami scythe is really a troublesome thing." He sighed, moving his bangs out of his way.

"A regular scythe is so old fashioned, don't you think?" Grell said. "The one I'm using was specially made to order. This shinigami scythe I'm using will play a duet with the soul's last moments! Of course, I guarantee it's first rate! This is a tool used by the gods. Able to slice through anything!"

 _Shouldn't he be doing something other than trying to sell his scythe?_ I thought with a sweat drop.

"I've always been downright honest, to the point where my body's gotten slow." He complained, wiggling his hips with a kissy face. "I really wanna do some vigorous exercise with you~"

"Can you not say such revolting things? And I'm working too." Sebastian complained.

"Mm, you're so unfun! This part of you, I can't take it anymore, little Sebas!" Grell said, before growing more serious. "Oh, little Sebas, I do love the color red the most. Hair, clothes, lipstick. I love them to be red. That's why little Alex pleases me so much too."

I didn't know whether to be flattered, considering that Grell was _technically_ my kind of guy, or to be slightly disturbed since he was a serial killer. _Let's just… not think about it._ I decided.

"That's why I love using fresh blood to do makeup for those ugly women. The more flamboyant a woman is, the more she's as beautiful as a poisonous flower, right? A cool man who uses the color of wild roses to dress up would definitely be beautiful, little Sebas. I want to make you and dear little Alex use that beautiful wild rose color, and tear your bodies up to its deepest core, little Sebas~"

"Shinigami should quietly capture the souls that are about to depart from this world. Butlers are supposed to follow their master like a shadow, as are bodyguards such as Alex. To violate these two principles like you have, makes me want to throw up." Sebastian said calmly, not the least bit amused at Grell's foreplay.

"Hey, I really tried my best as a butler to serve my master!" Grell whined. "I even worked without my makeup or dressing up!"

"How shocking. And you call yourself a butler?" Sebastian said with a disappointed sigh.

"Even if I'm like this, I'm still the butler of death!" Grell said, sticking his tongue out and bringing a hand up with a rock sign, something that had me flustered slightly.

 _This is even better than in the show…_ I thought. What can I say? I used to be a fan of Grell in the series. Couldn't help it, really. Other than the serial killing bit, he was someone I really connected to and the way he interacted with Sebastian throughout the series always gave me a good laugh. Now though, was probably not the time to be fanaticizing about him and Sebastian, as Ciel had gotten serious, removing his eyepatch.

"In the name of Her Majesty and my own wretched name, I command you! Capture them!"

"Yes, my lord."

The famous saying sent a chill up my spine as Sebastian unbuttoned his coat and shoved it onto Ciel beside me.

"What—"

"So that your body won't become so cold." Sebastian replied with a grin, completely ignoring the freezing me. "When we return to the mansion, I'll prepare some hot milk for you. I'll add honey or brandy to sweeten it."

"You shouldn't give a kid brandy." I muttered softly, still eyeing Grell over his shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure one could make an exception." He said, apparently having heard me and turning towards me with one of those threatening smiles. "I might even consider giving you some warm brandy too, Alex, should you do a good job protecting the young master."

I flushed a bit, glancing at him before looking back to see Grell staring at me with puffed out cheeks, jealous.

"I-I'll… do my best."

Seemed Grell had enough as he started up his death scythe once more. "Oya!~ I won't let you three go so easily! Lately, I've only been encountering unsophisticated prey. My scythe and I are unsatisfied. And your relationship with Alex frustrates me, little Sebas!"

Grell suddenly jumped up and came after Sebastian, Ciel, and I, and I grabbed Ciel, pulling him back with me as Grell continued to shout.

"If I am the one to be hunted down, then I'd rather be the one to do the hunting, little Sebast! Let us play a wonderful hide and seek! Then I'll play a bit with Alex!"

Sebastian sighed, dodging Grell's swing with a graceful back flip. "I think I have said this before, please don't say such nauseating things!"

"Don't be like that! I'm sure you'll become addicted to the taste of my death scythe."

 _Isn't this where…_ I watched as Sebastian picked up a light post and my eyes widened.

"It cuts through _everything_ , Sebastian!" I called out to him, and he sent me a glance before twisting the lamp post at an angle steep enough to slide the chainsaw off and leave him unharmed; thus changing the plot since he was supposed to have been cut in the deeply in the arm here, but it still managed to clip him and reveal some of his cinematic records. I couldn't stop him from getting further hurt though, because I had to now focus my attention on Madam Red while he was busy being pinned to the wall.

"Why…" Ciel muttered quietly, my body staying tense beside him.

"Why?" Madam Red chuckled. "You're asking me now, how do you expect me to answer? You and I have become 'guard dog' and 'sinner'. If you weren't a guard dog of this place, and became the hunted one instead…" She pulled something out of her dress and charged. "…then there would only be one path for you!"

I managed to get between them and stopped the small dagger with my pistol. She struggled against me as Ciel continued talking.

"Madam! As a doctor, why did you have to murder people?"

"Even if I told a little brat like you, you wouldn't understand!" She shouted, managing to pull away from me and swing her hand back, cutting me across the face deeply enough to disorient me as blood slipped over my right eye.

"You would never understand!" She continued, running at Ciel and grabbing him around the throat. "You… You! You! If you had not been born, that would have been the best!"

She brought her arm up with the knife to stab him, but Sebastian quickly pulled away from Grell, tearing his shoulder in the process, as I clumsily hurried over as well.

"Young master!"

He went to kill her, eyes a dark crimson, but she wasn't a threat anymore and Ciel stopped him.

"Stop it! Sebastian! Don't kill her!"

Sebastian stopped, breathing harshly and clutching his would as I wiped my face to clear my vision and headed over beside him, keeping an eye on Grell and Madam Red.

"Sebastian?" Ciel said quietly, probably having never seen the look he was giving him before.

"Little Sebast's endurance is pretty good~" Grell hummed. "His arm was already useless, but he still had to go to help that little brat. Compared to that, what do you have to say for yourself, Madam Red?!"

I shifted a bit, reaching down and tearing off the bottom portion of my thin shirt and starting to wrap Sebastian's wound, ignoring the odd, confused look he was giving me.

"Kill that little brat already!" Grell scolded, but Madam Red grit her teeth.

"Can't…"

"Eh?"

"So I really couldn't do it… I… can't kill this child…" She practically cried.

"You're saying this _now_? After killing so many women! If you don't kill that little brat, it'll be your turn to be killed! And you have a shinigami helping you too!"

I could see Grell getting angry and quickly tied off the makeshift bandage and wiping the blood out of my vision once again as I cautiously made my way over to Madam Red.

"But… but! This child is my—"

She was cut off as Grell thrust his death scythe forward, but instead of it stabbing her in the chest like it should have, it missed. She tumbled to the ground and blood splattered across the pavement as the whirring blade embedded itself into my upper abdomen, slicing through organs and shattering my lower ribs. The pain was excruciating and I could hardly stand, let alone try to pull the machine out of me. I somehow managed though, Grell in such shock at the other end that I was able to just step back and pull the weapon out of me, only to fall to my knees.

"Y-You…"

My clouded eyes shifted over to Madam Red's shocked expression and I gave her a shaky smile.

"You're… all he has… left of his… family." I breathed out, bringing a quivering hand to clutch at my wound, though I knew it would do little to nothing to save me. "I couldn't… I couldn't let someone… take that from him… It's… no fun… being alone."

I let out a short chuckle that ended in a choking cough, blood dripping down my chin as Ciel called out behind me.

"Alex! Sebastian, do something!"

"But, young master…"

I looked over at the almost frightened Ciel and scoffed half-heartedly. "Look at you… why are you so upset?" I leaned back up against the alley wall, breathing heavily and blinking slowly. "The great Earl P-Phantomhive… upset about some street rat… heh…"

"S-Shut up! You idiot, shut up!" He yelled, hands clenched at his side, appearing genuinely upset.

"Ah…" I sighed, tilting my head back and closing my eyes. "Lau's not going to be happy…" I opened my eyes and stared up at the dark sky for a moment feeling my body growing colder as the rain seemed to penetrate my skin. "…and I was looking forward to that warm brandy…"

I let out a long sigh, but it was cut short as my body hitched involuntarily, and I coughed up more blood, slumping against the wall in exhaustion as my breathing slowly became shallower. It became harder to move and I couldn't lift my head anymore. The pain was numbing and the voices were just vague murmurs in the back of my head, until I felt my heart take a few last stuttering beats before silencing altogether. Then it all faded into black, making me wonder what the world had against me.


	4. Chapter 4

A small group of children played around not too far from a church, when one boy grew curious and stopped his brother.

"Hey bro."

"Eh?"

"That place sure is packed out today. Why is that?"

"Dunno." The older brother said.

"Bro… Big bro, you dunno?" His little brother questioned. "I thought you were meant to be smart?"

"Hey, I'm only twelve so I can't expect to know everything!" He shouted, a bit embarrassed, when another voice spoke up.

"Correct. It's only natural for a child to not understand." The Undertaker chuckled, having leaned against the fence beside the—now cowering—children. "Today is a particular young man's special gala."

"Gala?" The older boy questioned.

"Yeah." The undertaker smirked, bringing a long black nail to his mouth. "The final great ceremony in each human's life. A funeral."

Inside the grand church, a casket lay shut at the front alter, various people milling about sniffing or crying as they mourned over the deceased. Lau was standing near the front, holding a saddened looking Ran Mao as he too stared over at the coffin. The building wasn't as packed as the children outside made it sound. Various people from Lau's group were there and a few others, such as Madam Red were there and Ciel stood by as well; Sebastian waiting in the church's doorway.

"It's a shame." Lau finally said. "He was a good employee."

Madam Red wiped her eyes with the edge of her handkerchief, an arm around Ciel's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry." She muttered quietly.

"It's hardly your fault, Madam Red." Ciel said, eyes gazing over at the coffin.

"The little Earl's right." Lau replied, with a closed-eye grin. "Alex wouldn't be reckless without a good reason.

Madam Red nodded and after a while, the funeral was over and all that was left was to bury Alex.

"Ah, but burying him in the earth would be a bit belittling, don't you think, Earl?" Lau questioned. "Alex would rather soar in the wind, hm?"

Ciel sighed, turning to the Undertaker as he stood grinning beside the coffin. "When would you be able to have him cremated?"

"Hehe, he'll be done by the end of the week at the latest."

Ciel nodded, looking down at the gravestone. "So be it."

The Undertaker nodded and took the coffin away while Lau, Ran Mao, Sebastian, and Ciel stood around the grave.

"So you never did inform the Queen of Jack the Ripper's true identity?" Lau questioned.

"I didn't find it necessary. Besides, London is now free of Jack the Ripper thanks to Alex."

"That means you will steadily sink into the mud." Lau replied grimly. "Even if you step towards a place from which you can't return, you choose not to reveal your _screaming for help_ to other people, eh? You cocky little Queen's dog." He snarled, before adopting his usual cheerful disposition. "I also hope that I will not bring you any trouble, Earl. I will try to keep things with myself tidy."

"If the opium that you import from China is regarded as an intoxicant, it's only a matter of time before regulations are made. Police won't ignore the anagura you Chinese merchants are running if it turns out that way, will they?"

"If that happens, I will just have to come up with a new business idea. My interest in this country is far from exhausted. The same goes for you, Earl." Lau leaned forward, placing a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "I do hope that you will show me many more interesting things _without_ costing me anymore companions."

With that, he walked off and Ciel dragged Sebastian with him to go look at the grave he had prepared for the final victim of Jack the Ripper: May Jane Kelly. Little did he know, an odd wind was blowing on the horizon and someone who was once dead would come back to haunt him.

* * *

Have you ever woken up someplace unrecognizable after thinking you were dead? Like in a fan fiction. The character dies or thinks they die and then they pop up somewhere unexpected like a hospital, another world, an unknown bedroom. Well, I almost wish that happened to me, but once again, it seems the universe was against me. Waking up after being dead is an odd feeling too. I swear I saw a set a blue eyes staring at me in the darkness, but that was impossible. I was dead. My eyes were closed, everything was dark, and I was breathing. _Wait… that's not right. How could I be breathing if I'm dead?_

My eyes snapped open as I quickly inhaled, realizing in a panic that I _was_ indeed breathing. I went to move and, despite a few aches here and there, I was alive. My heart was beating, my lungs expanding as I breathed quickly, and I could move. _How am I alive?! I-I was impaled by a chainsaw! More importantly, where am I?!_ Everything was still dark and the scent of wood had me slightly worried. _Oh, please don't tell me I'm buried. Please don't tell me I'm buried._ Slowly, I brought a hand up and not a few inches above me, it came into contact with wood. Growing more nervous, I touched beside me to find even more wood. As my panic began rising, I found myself confined in—what I was guessing was—a coffin. _Not good, not good! Buried alive?! O-Oh man. What to do. What to do. Think, brain, think!_ _Limited air. I need to control my breathing._

I couldn't though. I was in a panic and hyperventilating. The darkness seemed to close in around me and I struggled to keep myself under control. _Don't panic. Don't panic. M-Maybe there's one of those bell things._ My hands fumbled around the enclosed space and, upon finding nothing, I gave up on not panicking. I began shouting and clawing at the coffin's lid, pounding my fists into the walls on occasion as my breathing grew more rapid and my throat went raw. After what felt like hours, I heard something scratching on the outside of the coffin and my clawing and pounding grew more frantic. _Please don't be rats or bugs! I can't deal with much more right now! Someone, please! Help!_

Someone must have heard my silent praying, because the lid to the coffin suddenly opened and I jumped out, slipping and stumbling across the wooden floor until I found myself backpedaling into a corner, eyes wide as I struggled to comprehend what was going on and where I was at. A black shadow moved closer and I flinched, trying unsuccessfully to move further into the corner I was in.

"Hehehe, it's not everyday someone jumped out of one of my coffins alive."

 _T-That voice…_ I reluctantly looked up and stared back at the familiar face of the Undertaker in… pajamas? Sure enough, his usual top hat was replaced by a long black sleeping cap and his usual clothes were now a long black sleeping gown, a dim lantern held in one of his hands.

"I wondered what had woken me up. Who'd have thought I'd find an undead locked up in one of my coffins? Ah, but being trapped in a coffin alive must not have been pleasurable. I'll get you some tea."

He cheerfully wandered off, leaving me there in shock. _U-Undead? I'm an undead? What is that supposed to mean?!_ He had left the lantern behind, thank God, because I doubt I wouldn't been able to handle complete darkness at the moment. _Or ever again…_ He soon returned with the tea, handing me a beaker that I gratefully took, and sipped at. I noticed my hands were still shaking and set the chattering cup down with a long sigh before looking up at the Undertaker who just sat on a coffin and watched me.

"Y-You said undead." I muttered, voice soft and hoarse from shouting before. "What did you mean?"

He chuckled. "Ehehe, exactly what it sounds like. You." He raised a long finger to point at me. "Cannot die. At least, not easily."

"But how?!" I shouted, cringing and coughing off to the side as my throat ached in protest.

"You are only _half_ human, Alex~" He smirked, getting up and leaving the room, only to come back with a first aid kit. "Hands."

I looked down at my hands and winced upon seeing the damage I had done to them in my panic to get out of the coffin and held them out for the Undertaker to clean and bandage.

"What's the other half then?"

"Hehe, it's an odd one. Are you sure you want to know?"

I nodded and he leaned forward, pulling my hand towards him as he whispered into my ear.

" _Shape-shifter._ " He pulled back with a smirk, dragging a long fingernail across my jaw line. "A feline shape-shifter, if I had to guess."

I had a brief flashback of my cat and those blue eyes staring back at me and dropped my head into my hand.

" _Shit._ "

"Oh?" He tilted his head to the side, passing me one of his dog biscuits. "You have an idea?"

"You could say that." I muttered, eating the biscuit, before I suddenly realized how hungry I was. "My God, do you have any more of those?"

He nodded, leaving and returning, handing me the whole jar, which I began to chow down on, making him chuckle.

"Healing from a wound like that would take a lot of energy. Being hungry is something to be expected. Hehehe~"

I slowed down a bit, but still eating one biscuit after another as I tried to figure out how I could be some sort of half-human shape-shifter thing just because of that stupid cat.

"Well?"

I sighed, looking over at the man, tiredly. "There was this black cat with blue eyes that I used to take care of. I saw it right before I woke up in that… coffin. Knowing me, that has something to do with it."

"Hehehe. It's possible~" The Undertaker laughed, before standing. "Are you staying for the night then, Alex?"

I glanced at the coffins lingering around and stood with a shake of my head. "A-Ah, no. I'll head out and see if I can find a place to stay that's a bit less… dark."

"Alright~ Bye, Alex!" He said cheerfully with a wave. "Ah, but be careful. Now that your abilities have shown up once, they will continue to grow and controlling them will be vital to your survival."

I paused, hand reaching out for the door handle and looking back over my shoulder at him. "I will keep that in mind."

He then tossed something at me and I caught it, looking down at the black cloth in confusion.

"Winter is upon us. It would be a shame should you return here having died of the frost."

"Thanks… I think." I said, putting the thick coat on and opening the door, squinting as a blast of ice cold wind hit my face.

Walking outside into the cold London air, I started my long walk to the docks, hoping that Lau would welcome me with open arms despite the fact that I had been technically dead. _And there's no way I'm going to that demon, Sebastian._ As I walked, it started to snow, making my trek a bit more precarious than it was as I slipped on the wet cobblestones and twisted my ankle. _Well, thanks, universe. As if you didn't hate me enough._ Getting up, I limped my way off the cobblestones and onto the wet boards of the dock, tugging the coat tighter around me as I headed to one of the entrances to one of Lau's opium dens. Opening the door, I was glad for the minute warmth the hallway provided and headed downstairs, opening the door and sagging against the frame as all eyes headed my way.

"Hi?"

The guys were too shocked to do anything, but Lau just gave me that same old grin and patted the seat beside him.

"Alex~ Dying must be tiring, come. Sit."

I stumbled over and sank into the sofa, closing my eyes. "I don't get a pay reduction because of this, do I?"

He chuckled lightly. "Now why would I do such a thing?"

A weight settled in my lap and I peeked and eye open to see Ran Mao sitting on me, bringing a hand up and pulling it through my hair. Lau, beside me, pouted.

"You took my darling Ran Mao…"

I chuckled, settling back and closing my eyes once I had accepted a pipe from another one of Lau's ladies.

"At least someone missed me."

Lau leaned over and tilted my face towards him, a finger on my chin. "Now who said I didn't miss my number one employee?"

I scoffed, turning away from him. "Ran Mao, can you believe this? He's trying to seduce me!"

She looked at him with her usual blank face, but even I could see the hidden disappointment and Lau began whining to her about how he wasn't replacing her and such, leaving me to relax and simply be glad I was alive. Because, to be honest, I was tired of dying.

* * *

Upon discovering my twisted ankle, Lau was nice enough to give me a break off working for a little while. Only issue with that was me losing money, but I had already become one of the top tier employees under him, so I was put strictly under his care and the others. I was friendly enough with the other top tier guys, who were a bit shocked at my recent condition, and they made sure to give me a hassle whenever they had a chance as I was recovering. I discovered something though, about my crazy healing abilities. Turns out, the bigger the injury, the longer it takes to heal and the longer it takes, the hungrier and more exhausted I am afterwards. Already, Lau was putting me to work in repaying him for the food I had consumed after ' _dying_ '.

Right now though, I was on my break and had taken my place on a sofa beside him relaxing with a pipe and a few ladies Ran Mao had sent my way. _Though why, I'm not entirely sure. Not appealing to me in the slightest._ Just then, we heard the door upstairs click open and I eyed Lau warily, shifting a bit so I could grab my pistol if need be. Once the main door opened though, I scowled at our guests, shifting back into a relaxed position and taking a deep drag from my pipe.

"What an awful smell." Ciel complained, bringing an arm over his nose to keep from inhaling the opium.

"So you finally found this place, Earl." Lau said. "It feels kind of weird for you to see me this way. However… I always knew the day would come.

"And what kind of day is this?" Ciel complained, stepping forward to see Lau in a better light, surrounded by his usual horde of girls.

"Welcome, Earl! Long time no see!"

"How you been?" Ran Mao asked quietly, as I stayed silent unnoticed off to the side.

"Wasn't it your birthday recently?" Lau mused. "Congrats~"

"I don't really care about such things. I have something to ask you."

"Ah! The Earl had to come all the way to anagura to ask me about 'that' incident. Am I right?"

I raised a brow off in the shadows. _What's he talking about? I haven't heard of any incident and he's been hanging around here to give me trouble the past few days, so he can't know anything either._ I felt a sweat drop appear on my forehead. _He's lying, isn't he…_

"The news has spread to you already? You sure are fast." Ciel mused as a couple of ladies wandered over to Sebastian to offer him a pipe. "I have been investigating 'that' incident. If it's about orientals, the fastest way to find anything out is to ask you who has a strong influence around here. The president of the British branch of the Chinese trading company, Kunlun… no… Shanghai mafia, Qingbang executive… Lau."

Lau brought a hand up to Ran Mao's chin. "Meh, I don't like it when you address me that way. It's too formal. Right, Ran Mao?"

"I'll leave the East End in your care." Ciel said, not looking pleased about Lau blowing him off. "The number of people who move in and out of this street are in your control, right?"

"Of course, I have done as you asked." Lau said, putting his pipe down. "It's the bribe that allows me to do business in the underworld of this country."

"So."

"Well, firstly, I also want to ask you one thing… What exactly is 'that' incident?"

Ciel grew more upset about everything, whereas Sebastian just watched in amusement. Lau stood and shrugged, hands hidden by his long sleeves, as he turned towards me.

"Do you know anything, Alex?"

Ciel and Sebastian's eyes snapped to me in shock as I scowled and sat up, smoking my pipe as I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees.

"How would I know? I've been off duty until yesterday."

"A-Alex?!"

I glanced over at Ciel and sighed, passing my pipe to one of the ladies beside me and standing, rolling my neck and stretching.

"I guess I can ask around, but couldn't they just tell us?"

"Oh! That's right!" Lau said, playing innocent.

"Stop ignoring me!" Ciel shouted, before pointing at me. "How are you alive?!"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "Nice to see you too."

He grew even more frustrated, so I gave in with a sigh.

"I'm not too sure myself. Though waking up thinking I was buried alive was not a pleasant feeling."

"I could imagine." Sebastian said with a grin, one that sent chills down my spine, and not in a pleasant way either.

 _He's suspicious. Just what I need._ Lau stood as well with his usual Chinese grin and began heading towards the door with me following behind him.

"Shall we? I am interested to know about this incident and how I can be of service to you, Little Earl."

Ciel's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but him and Sebastian followed out after us and began explaining about the incidents that were occurring. I wasn't pleased to find out that we were now in the curry arc, it not being one of my favorite plot arcs, and I proceeded to tune them out as we walked. _So… I'm a cat shape shifter? And the Undertaker mentioned powers… I hope I don't end up growing a tail or anything. As much as I like animals, I'd prefer keeping my appearance the way it is._ I sighed quietly, and went back to listening to Sebastian as he spoke.

"Nevertheless, we have walked for a long time now. So where is this stronghold of Indian people?"

"Eh?" Lau questioned and I looked around as well, sweat dropping. "Ah, sorry. I got lost in the conversation so it seems that we are lost now!"

"Why you—" Ciel growled, before getting fed up and turning. "Well, firstly, we'll return to—"

Ciel accidentally bumped into someone and went to apologize, but the poor Indian man immediately began to throw a fit.

"It hurts! My ribs cracked!"

"Wha?!"

Sebastian and I collectively sighed as the man continued to wail and we were soon surrounded by a rather large group of men. I turned to Lau and whispered in his ear, keeping an eye out for any sudden movement.

"Perhaps you should hide while you are going unnoticed."

He grinned at me. "Very well. Do take care of the Little Earl~"

He easily snuck away and up onto the roof of a nearby building as I rolled my eyes and adjusted my clothes, Sebastian tugging on his gloves as Ciel gave him the order.

"Dispose of them right away."

"As you wish."

"I'll tell you." The Indian man said. "All of us here despise noblemen. They brought us all the way to England and then dumped us like trash! All you British are selfish! Because of you guys, we ended up living like miserable gutter rats! Our country was walked all over by your shoes! We'll give you a taste of how it feels it be plundered and humiliated!"

As this man spoke, the group kept getting more and more riled up, but then a new voice came into play.

"First of all, I have something to ask all of you!"

"That's right! Firstly, we have something to ask!" The crowd replied, making me raise a brow in confusion.

"If the answer is useful, I will treat you to some delicious food as a reward."

"That's right! Yummy food!" The crowd suddenly stopped, realizing that something was up and they turned to the culprit. "Wait a sec… that's not how it goes!"

The culprit could care less, a younger Indian man holding up some horrible looking drawing. "So yeah, guys. We're searching for someone. Have you seen any Indians who look like this?"

 _He's almost as clueless as Lau…_ I thought in amusement, scratching the side of my nose as the leader of the crowd went over with a threatening looking dagger.

"What the?! You're in the way, you bastard!"

"How rude, calling me such impolite things. Eh? What? Are you guys joining in the fight too?" He asked, having spotted us, ignoring the man. "He has a butler… and a bodyguard… You are British noblemen?"

"So what if we are?" Ciel muttered.

"Then, I shall side with the people of my country. Agni."

The light haired Indian behind him stepped forward. "Yes?"

 _Oh, he's not bad looking either…_ I mused, blinking in surprise.

"Defeat them." Soma said—his name finally coming to me.

"Your wish is my command. I will swing this fist blessed by the Gods for my master's sake." Agni said, unraveling the bandages on his hand and moving quickly to Sebastian, who barely blocked his hit.

"Alex!"

I blinked out of my trance and nodded, grabbing Ciel around the waist and moving him out of harm's way, or so I thought.

"Don't forget that we are here also!" Shouted the man from before, but Sebastian and Agni had been headed our way and I simply ducked along with Sebastian, pulling Ciel down as well, and causing Agni to knock the man out.

"I'm sorry, brother!" He shouted, still chasing after Sebastian, who jumped off the face of another Indian man and continued to block Agni's hits.

Agni looked confused as he paused in his fighting. "I've hit your pressure points countless times. Your arm should be paralyzed. How is it that you can still fight?"

I spotted Agni coming towards me now, and ungracefully tossed Ciel to Sebastian, barely managing to dodge his first attack. _He's fast!_ Ciel, being ever so helpful today, began shouting from Sebastian's arms, not pleased with the situation.

"Hey! We had barely stepped foot in this place and those guys picked a fight with us! Do all Indians act like barbarians and indiscriminately attack the British?!"

Agni landed a hit to my left shoulder and I cringed as my arm suddenly decided to not work. _Not good._ Thankfully, Soma realized that something was wrong with this situation.

"What? You lot! Did you really attack this kid for no reason?"

"Eh? A reason?"

I mentally face palmed, barely ducking enough to dodge another one of Agni's hits.

"That's not right! Picking fights without a reason is childish. Agni!"

The man stopped his attacks against me as I cradled my arm and looked over at Soma as well.

"Our brothers are the wrong ones here. We shall help this kid now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Not a moment later, Agni was sitting atop a mound of bodies with a grin on his face. "It is done, Lord Soma!"

"That's right!" He then turned towards us, picking up Ciel's top hat that had been knocked off in the fray. "So you guys, I hope you're not hurt or anything?"

I had wandered over to where they were at that point and he caught sight of my arm.

"Ah! Sorry! Agni, you apologize too!"

Agni looked sheepish as he bowed his head. "Apologies. Your arm should function again after a while."

I nodded, but stayed silent as Soma plopped Ciel's hat roughly on his head.

"Also, kid, this kind of area isn't the place for a kid to wander about. So… anyhow… I'm in the middle of a search so need to split. See ya."

He and Agni started walking off and from above us, I heard Lau speaking, sounding impressed.

"Yaa, those two are amazing."

"And what exactly have you been doing?!" Ciel scolded, not too happy with Lau at the moment.

"Meh, just waiting for the right chance to jump in." He hopped down easily from the roof with a small smile. "By the way, who exactly are those two? They are definitely not people who live in the East End. Also, they wear pretty dresses. Their English accent is pretty too."

I shrugged when he glanced at me as Sebastian sighed about delivering the knocked out Indians to the city yard. As we headed back to Ciel's carriage though, Lau hung off my shoulders and poked at my useless arm.

"My, my, Alex. Looks like you'll need to do more training if you allowed your arm to become like this from one hit."

I frowned with a sigh, not pleased with added training and Lau chuckled, teasing me the whole way back to Ciel's mansion.

"How tiresome." Ciel complained, myself sniffling at the cold now that snow had started to fall outside. "The criminals may be among them. Let's wait to hear from Commissioner Randall. Feh! Fancy calling me out to London because of this boring case."

Lau laughed, following after Ciel. "Well, you can't help but bark if there is any sort of threat to the Queen. This is part of being a pitiful watchdog isn't it, Earl."

Ciel's servants suddenly poked their heads around the corner, excitedly. "Young master! Welcome back!"

Lau looked confused, watching as the servants caught sight of me and all frowned or fidgeted nervously. "I see you brought all the servants this time… though they don't seem to like my Alex very much."

"Yeah." Sebastian said, kind of irked. "They would end up more of a burden eventually if we left them at home. And it seems Alex may have caused some problems with them the last time he came around."

"Hm~" Lau hummed, poking me in the cheek. "Shame on you, Alex! You should always get along with people! Perhaps a smile would help?"

He pulled my cheeks up to force me to smile, to which I ignored him as Ciel and Sebastian sent me a small smirk. _You're lucky I like you so much, Lau._

Sebastian turned his attention to Ciel then, smiling. "You must be tired due to the cold. I will serve you tea immediately."

"Fair enough then." Ciel sighed as another voice spoke up.

"Instead of English tea, let's have chai. That would be better."

"Er… what the?!" Ciel spun around and spotted Soma and Agni as they checked out the mansion. "Wha? Wha? Why the blazes are you here?!"

"Huh? But we met just earlier today? Besides, I saved you."

"Saved?" I muttered, not really sure that what they did counted as saving. _Sebastian probably could've handled it fine if they didn't get involved. Oh well, just means I get something nice to look at._ I mused, eyeing Agni as he turned around and bounded up the stairs.

"In India, it's common to welcome and entertain benefactors." Soma ranted. "We even have a saying for that, 'entertain the guests even if you must sell your treasures'." He turned to Lau and I then, looking around. "Oi, where is the bed?"

"Why are you looking for a bed?" Lau questioned, whereas I just stayed quiet.

"In my country, we sit together with the guests on the bed."

"Prince!" Agni shouted, coming back down the stairs and waving excitedly. "Prince! I found it!"

I sighed as Ciel finally had enough.

"Oi!"

Soma, ever clueless, ignored him and headed after Agni. "Meh, however narrow it is, I've decided to stay here."

"Wait a minute! Why do I have to look after you guys?!" Ciel shouted, hurrying after them as I looked at Lau.

"Should we go after them?"

He nodded with a chuckle. "May be interesting~"

I rolled my eyes, but we both headed up after them just in time for Agni to properly introduce Soma as he posed on the bed.

"This person is the 26th child to the king of the princely state of Bengal. Prince Soma Asman Gandal."

Soma smirked. "I'm gonna stay for a while, okay midget?"

Ciel twitched, anger probably boiling just under his skin.

"Then, as a symbol of our new friendship, this Agni will serve you chai!" Agni said, smiling and pulling ginger out of nowhere. "On a cold say, chai tea with ginger can't be beat!"

He then headed off to find the kitchen with Sebastian following after him trying to stop him since, 'serving tea was kind of _his thing_ '. The servants seemed pretty excited about the prince hanging around, but Ciel was less than pleased and, as always, Lau decided to tease him just a little bit more.

"Yah, it seems like there's gonna be some lively times ahead, eh, Earl?"

"Get out!" Ciel shouted, finally unable to hold back any longer.

The servants, sensing Ciel's frustration, reluctantly left and Lau tugged me out after him so we could go ahead and get some rest. And by 'we' I mean _him_. I tended to sleep a lot less with everything that's happened lately and dark places had started to bother me, making me restless ever since dying and waking up in a coffin. At this point, I had basically become an insomniac and had difficulty sleeping at all, going without sleep for days until I collapsed from exhaustion. Lau didn't appreciate the way I pushed myself, but there was some silent understanding between us, like he knew that I was having problems and they wouldn't be so easy to fix. He even left Ran Mao to sleep beside me sometimes, finding that it helped me sleep better if there was someone with me. I felt bad that I couldn't get over something as stupid as fear of the dark, but I was working on it, little by little.

All of this, explained what happened this morning when I was woken up by Lau's door opening and, having slept against the wall beside it, I reacted immediately with a gun pressed under the neck of Agni. It took me a moment to realize who it was, as the Indian man held his hands up in surrender with a nervous smile on his face.

"Apologies for startling you, sir. I simply came to wake you and your master this morning. Though I must compliment your reflexes!"

I slowly lowered the gun and hid it in the holsters under the back of my shirt once more, before sighing and apologizing.

"Sorry. I will wake him."

Agni smiled, making me mentally sigh at his bright cheery smile. _Why does God curse the world with such good looking men?_ Agni soon left though, going to wake Ciel up for breakfast apparently and I closed the door with another long sigh.

"Oh? Having difficulty keeping up with all the excitement, Alex?" Lau cooed, smirking at me.

I sent him a dull look. "You know how I am with excitement."

He laughed, getting up out of bed and wrapping his arms around my shoulders, his bed sheets pooled around his waist as his bare chest pressed up against my back. "Yes, yes. Always the stoic one… Though you always turn a nice shade of red when I do this~"

I swallowed thickly, willing my cheeks to return to their normal color as Lau laughed and released me cheerily.

"Well then! We best go find the young Earl. I am curious as to how the Indians will wake him."

I let out a deep breath to calm my rapidly beating heart and moved to wait outside as Lau changed, closing the door behind me as the heat returned to my face and I mentally panicked. _Damn him! He has to know! I mean, it's nice that he isn't judging me for being gay, if he does know, but teasing me?!_ The door opened before I could think about it much longer and Lau came out in his usual Chinese attire and leading the way as he headed towards Ciel's bedroom. We got there just in time to see Agni holding a flailing Ciel and a very confused Sebastian.

"Oyah? It's been lively here since early this morning." Lau commented as we came around the corner.

"Sebastian!"

The three servants hurried up then and bowed to Lau and I reluctantly as Sebastian scolded them for not acting properly in front of guests.

"What's wrong, did you… again…"

"I-It's weird!" They shouted. "The food! The yard! The clothes!"

"Weird?" Sebastian questioned, before we were all led out to see what everyone was panicking about.

Oddly enough, everything was perfectly cleaned up and prepared. The laundry was hung up, the garden was trimmed to perfection, and the food was laid out eloquently.

"What happened?" Sebastian asked in, what appeared to be, awe.

Agni raised his hand. "Ah! It was presumptuous of me, but I have prepared all this myself!"

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Sebastian said, butler instincts pressing him to apologize. "Please, just relax as you are our guest."

Agni waved his hands. "Oh, but it's nothing! The prince is of course excluded, however I am a mere butler. So I think the least I can do is lend the hard-working Sebastian a hand."

Agni smiled brightly and Sebastian trembled slightly, before turning to the other servants with a smile.

"Why don't you all kneel down on the ground and beg for even a mere scrap of Agni's talents. Perhaps it would improve you even a little."

As the servants attacked Agni for scraps of his talent, Sebastian turned away and led the rest of us to the dining room for breakfast.

"So…" Ciel said, starting the conversation off, though he sounded very annoyed. "How long do you two intend to stay in my house?"

"We'll leave once our work is done." Agni said, face stuffed with food.

"And that is…"

"Aren't you two looking for someone?" Lau spoke up, catching everyone's attention.

"So what if they are and why do you need to stay here also?" Ciel grumbled, annoyed.

Lau chuckled. "But my dear Alex here missed you!"

I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance at those words, but Soma distracted everyone once more as he pulled out a really bad looking drawing of a woman.

"Oh yeah. We're looking for a lady. This lady."

Ciel took the photo, Sebastian, Lau, and I looking at it in confusion. _His drawing skills suck…_

"Her name is Mina. She was a maidservant at my palace."

"This is…"

"I drew that. I drew it so good that once you see her in person, you'll recognize her for sure! Isn't she a beauty?"

Ciel, ever desperate to get rid of the Indian prince, gave Sebastian a glance. "Sebastian, can you find her with this?"

"Even for me, that's… I'll try my best then."

Lau snatched the paper the, smiling. "My, I have never seen such a beautiful lady."

"Of course!" Soma said, clapping his hands together in thanks for the meal. "She is the most beautiful lady in my palace!"

The paper was then handed over to Sebastian as Ciel spoke.

"So, why is this woman in England?"

Unfortunately, him and Agni weren't listening and were too preoccupied in praying to their goddess's statue. As much as I was interested in their conversation about their goddess Kali, I was too lazy to pay attention and yawned, gazing around bored. _Man, I remember this arc and I never really cared for it. It's just Soma being an idiot, Agni being amazing, and Ciel and Sebastian having to deal with it all. I wonder if I can convince Lau to let me go back to the den and get some sleep or start on that extra training I'm going to have to do now thanks to them._ I was broken out of my thoughts as Lau grabbed my arm and began leading me somewhere.

"So slow, Alex~ Come! We're going to go bug the Earl while he works."

"You mean, we're going to watch as Soma and Agni bother him."

He gave me a confused look. "Isn't that what I said?"

I sighed again, feeling my remaining life ebb away with every breath and reluctantly followed him as we were led into a study where Ciel had a violin and Sebastian began teaching him.

"Now, during your stay in London, instead of governess Adams and the others, I will serve as your tutor." Sebastian said, now sporting a pair of glasses that had me cursing the gods once more for his amazing looks. "Firstly, let's practice the second suit of the partita solo for violin."

"Chaconne of Bach. This piece of music is extremely high level. How can I play—" Ciel complained until Sebastian pressed his own bow under Ciel's chin.

"Because it's hard, if you can do this you will gain confidence. That is my method as a tutor." Sebastian smiled. "Do you have any problems with my education policy?"

Ciel remained silent and Sebastian started teaching once more. "Ready? Then prepare the bow."

Ciel began playing pretty well and Sebastian continued to teach as he went.

"The important thing for D minor is to express the tune with severity and piety. That's it. You're doing very well. Express the tune with intense emotions."

Another noise come in, interrupting Ciel and making me cringe and open my eyes after closing them to enjoy the soft tones of the violin.

"At the appropriate times, use the sound to represent anger." Another noise. "That's it… Um, what are you doing?"

Sebastian finally stopped Ciel and looked over at Soma and Agni who were playing their own set of instruments, Lau sitting nearby in curiosity.

"Hm? I just think it would be good to spend time with Ciel for today. I am also talented when it comes to musical instruments."

"Get out!"

Soma and Agni were kicked out of the room as Sebastian decided to move on to art study. I stared at the violin though in longing. _I haven't played in years… I can't say it was a good experience since the teacher tended to hit me when I screwed up, but… it was the one thing I liked doing that wasn't… expected of me… I miss the sound…_ I didn't notice the glance I received from someone else in the room, but I paid attention again when Agni and Soma somehow got back into the room.

"What? Drawing a bottle is boring, isn't it?!" Soma spotted Mey-Rin and pointed. "Drawing a picture is better with a naked woman, right? So woman! Undress!"

Mey-Rin began panicking. "I-I will only undress in front of the man I love."

Lau went to go help her undress, but I tugged her away from him and kept her away from Soma as I pushed her lightly towards the door.

"Oh? You'd rather take her place, Alex?" Lau questioned, making me swallow nervously.

"That is not what I—"

Soma only seemed to want to go along with it. "That is fine too! Naked men are often used in drawings as well. You will do fine! Strip!"

I looked over at him in shock. "W-Wha—"

"Don't worry, Alex. I can help~" Lau teased, making me feel heat rushing up the back of my neck and to my ears.

"N-No, I don't—"

Thankfully, I was saved as the two Indians were thrown out yet again and Lau laughed off his teasing like he always did. _I'm starting to think that he likes me a little too much. Either that, or he gets a kick out of making me suffer._ I sweat dropped. _I'm betting it's the later._ Sebastian and Ciel moved on then to their business and trying out new products that their factory was making.

"The samples of the limited Christmas goods from our Yorkshire factory have arrived."

Ciel picked up a rabbit and hugged it. "Um… It feels good now that they remade it."

"Next, the production plan for next year has arrived from headquarters." Sebastian continued as Ciel picked up a confetti popper. "It seems new products like the Christmas Cracker are having favorable sales at the Herriot Department Store."

"Though since our kid customers are the majority, we need to keep producing new toys." Ciel said, as Soma yet again broke in.

"That's it. I have thought of a few business plans for you! Look at this!"

Agni held up some papers with a bad drawing of an elephant on it.

"A doll in the image of the Indian god Ganesh! But get this… somehow… the nose… moves!" Soma said excitedly as Agni moved on to the next paper.

"Get out!"

Ciel then moved on to fencing practice and Lau asked if I could be his opponent while Sebastian fixed his mistakes. I didn't want to, but Lau _was_ my boss, so I did and Ciel was pretty good. I was struggling though, because the way I was taught fencing wasn't as… formal as this. So I tended to add in tricks or do blows that hurt more than counted for points. Not to mention how absent minded I was lately. Ciel had nearly hit me pretty good a few times if I hadn't dodged last minute. Soma, however, was beyond bored and kept complaining.

"Hmph, what time will you finish? And just what the hell are you doing?"

Ciel had finally had enough. "Argh! Shut up! I can't concentrate!"

Soma pouted. "Eh, no need to get mad."

"Okay, I get it." Ciel grumbled, swiping the fencing sword out of my grasp and tossing it to Soma. "If you want my attention that much, then be my opponent."

Soma swung the sword a few times, Lau dancing around behind him with another sword that I quickly took from him. _He'd probably hurt himself._

"I have only studied martial arts like 'kalaripayattu' and 'silambam' though. Meh, have it your way. So if I beat you, will you play with me?"

Ciel scoffed. "Only if you win. If you lose then you must stay quiet and keep out of my way."

I sighed, mumbling under my breath just loud enough for Lau to hear. "Shouldn't they just find something they're both good at, so it's not such a one-sided fight?"

Lau chuckled. "Perhaps, but this will be interesting, no?"

"Two children fighting usually ends up with one of them getting hurt." I grumbled, remembering how many times I had ended up hurting kids from my younger school days and how they hurt me.

"Mah, but Sebastian won't allow that. Agni neither, probably."

"Doesn't mean it won't happen."

I watched as Soma charged in and realized that his sword bends and that there were only certain ways to earn points in fencing, leaving him to dodge Ciel's onslaught of jabs and thrusts. Ciel started kind of explaining that the sword was used for those kinds of moves, but he took his chance at trying to jab Soma in the torso, only for Agni to get between them and jab a finger into Ciel's pressure point. Agni panicked.

"C-Ciel, sir! My deepest apologies! My body moved on its own when I thought the prince was going to lose!"

Sebastian went over to see if Ciel was okay, but there wasn't much he could do and I headed over.

"Your best bet is to massage the area around the pressure point to try and ease up the muscles there." I muttered quietly, taking Ciel's arm and beginning to do just that as Soma praised Agni.

"Ahaha, Agni! You have protected a master like me really well! I praise you! Agni is my butler, he's all mine! In other words, I won!"

"Tha—"

"Now you shall play with me!" Soma cut Ciel off, but Lau didn't seem to be enjoying himself much and tossed the sword he had at Sebastian, who caught it.

"Here, you should take reprisal for your master, butler."

"What are you going to do, Ciel's butler?" Soma questioned as Ciel frowned, allowing me to continue massaging his arm since it seemed to be helping a little.

"Indeed…" Sebastian said, sighing. "It's because you were being mean to a novice who didn't know the rules."

"Wha?!"

"However, when the master is injured like this…" Sebastian stood from his place beside Ciel. "As a butler of the Phantomhive family, I can't ignore it. Moreover, we are behind the planned schedule by ten minutes."

"That's your real motive, isn't it?" Ciel grumbled, standing as well as he flexed his hand and shoved it back at me to continue.

"Interesting." Soma said. "This is good. I shall allow this duel! Agni! In the name of Kali the goddess, you can't lose!"

"Sebastian, this is an order! Silence that brat!"

"Jo ajna."

"Yes, my lord."

Lau came up beside me as I shivered, the scene before me just too much to handle. _Oh man, they're so…_

"I _thought_ you'd like this, Alex~" He whispered in my ear, catching Ciel's attention as well. "After all, who wouldn't want to see two men like Sebastian and Agni fighting it out, hm?"

Ciel raised a brow as I felt my ears heat up, swallowing thickly. "What are you going on about?"

"Nothing~" Lau smiled innocently as the fight began.

"Now then, please kindly go easy on me." Sebastian smirked as Agni charged.

"Here I go!"

It was the best thing I had ever experienced, watching those two fencing. It almost appeared as though they were dancing with the way they professionally dodged jabs and used their impeccable footwork to move around the room. Ducking, sliding, jumping, twisting, thrusting. I barely managed to keep my mouth from dropping open in shock and admiration as I struggled to keep my mind on massaging Ciel's arm. At a point though, Sebastian and Agni had both their blades touch tip to tip and they bent so far that the two weapons broke in half.

"Oh, my." Sebastian said as he caught the end of his sword that broke. "The sword's broken."

He didn't seem too disappointed though and, if anything, he looked relieved that it was over. _Probably because he can get back on schedule now._ I mused, though still trying to get over the scene I'd just watched. _Grell would've died watching that._ Lau was left in charge to keep them from going at it again.

"This means that it'll be impossible to compete anymore, so this match ends as a draw."

I could see the confusion in Ciel's eyes as he lightly tugged his arm out of my grip to stare at Agni in slight annoyance. _Shocking, isn't it? To see someone on par with a demon in fencing… and looks…_ I shook my head out of my thoughts, ignoring the look Lau was giving me. _I need to stop. As good as they look, one of them is a demon and the other… No, don't think about it._ I looked over at the two as they talked and felt my stomach twist into knots as memories of voices drifted through my head.

" _You're useless! Faggot!"_

" _All you're good for is fucking guys!"_

" _Dirty whore!"_

" _You're better off just dying!"_

" _Like anyone would want something like you!"_

 _That's right…_ I thought, turning away and moving back into the shadows a bit, where I was supposed to be. _No one would want something gross like me._


	5. Chapter 5

Sebastian had noticed many things today, things that he hadn't expected. For one thing, Agni seemed to possess a gift that gave him enough strength to go up against a demon like himself on near equal terms. That in and of itself was surprising to the demon butler. The other things he noticed were of another such odd person. Alex seemed to have a lot on his mind lately, as Sebastian easily noticed during the fencing practice with Ciel, when said person was getting by with his natural instinct alone and dodging the strikes. There was something odd about him though, and it wasn't just the fact that he had apparently been brought back from the dead.

That was enough to shock any being, demon or otherwise. It is not every day that someone who should've been dead just gets up and walks again, much less after being stabbed through the chest by a shinigami blade. It was apparent to Sebastian that he had been suffering from night terrors as well, something to be expected after waking up to find oneself in a coffin. Alex was lucky that Lau suggested cremation or else he would have been six feet under ground and would have surely died. Today though, Alex's actions seemed to be stirring something in Sebastian that he wasn't sure he even had anymore.

He found himself feeling fond over Alex after spending time with him. The man was still young and strong willed, yet had this energy about him that made Sebastian think that he had grown up too soon; something he found was similar with his young master. Not only that, but on occasion, Sebastian would catch him trying to sink into the shadows of a room. This was to be expected with the duties for Lau that he performs, but there was something about the way he did it and the atmosphere around him that led Sebastian to think that perhaps, he was a part of these shadows. Even his soul seemed darkened by shadows and this made Sebastian curious as to what Alex could have possibly gone through to end up with such a soul.

Then there was the moment with the violin that Sebastian had witnessed. He could see the longing in Alex's eyes and wondered if Alex had played such an instrument before, though the idea itself seemed ridiculous. Alex _was_ , after all, a mere street urchin that Lau had picked up. There would have been no chance for him to have learned how to play such an instrument, let alone pick one up. Then again, Alex wasn't one to bring up his past much at all and Lau was very tight-lipped about his little bodyguard, to the point where Sebastian wondered what they were hiding. What caused Alex to have schooled his expression into what it is now? How did Alex learn to fix things like their carriage, when they first bumped into him? Why was he often finding Alex staring into space in thought or memories?

These questions plagued Sebastian constantly. So much so, that even _he_ seemed to space out in thought about the young man. It was already beginning to get annoying to Sebastian, but the moment he saw Alex acting oddly, he couldn't help but bring those questions up again. What is he thinking about? Why is he making that expression? Why turn away? Why are his eyes sad? Again and again these questions bothered the demon and even now as he saw said bodyguard tucked away in the shadows, he could sense that something was wrong. Even the shadows seemed to understand and appeared to thicken around the young man, before Sebastian drew his thoughts away and went off to go prepare dinner.

As Sebastian made his way towards the kitchen, he removed his tailcoat and hung it on a coat rack outside the door, rolling up his sleeves as he walked in and Bard stood there confidently.

"Alright! I can't lose to that guy from India! I shall display my wonderful skills today—"

"There's no need for that." Sebastian said, snatching the pan from him and walking past. "I'll take care of the preparations. Kindly stay by the side and watch."

Sebastian was already annoyed by the fact that they were over 30 minutes behind schedule, thanks to Soma wanting another go at fencing, and dealing with the three idiots would only put them behind schedule even more.

"Sebastian! Are you listening?!" Bard shouted, irking Sebastian even more.

"Can you please be quiet?"

"Mr. Sebastian, I hope you don't mind this interruption." Agni said, poking his head in. "I was just thinking if there was anything that I can help out with."

"Mr. Agni, there is really no need for you to—"

Agni cut him off, his cheeriness brightening the room. "Two pairs of hands are always better than one! Feel free to order me around."

 _Oh, it's so nice to have someone competent around._ "In that case, may I trouble you with the preparation of the berry sauce for tonight's fish dish as well as the cottage pie?"

"Sure!"

Sebastian pulled out a drawer and handed him the recipe. "The recipe is placed here. We shall substitute the meat in the cottage pie with chicken."

"Thank you for being so thoughtful!" Agni said, taking the recipe as Bard came over to argue with Sebastian.

"Hey! Why are you letting him help out and finding me a nuisance?!"

"Bard, you'll just get in the way, kindly stay away."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and Sebastian left to the other kitchen to start preparing the main dish. Agni felt bad for Bard being treated as though he couldn't do anything and tried to think up something he could do. That's when it hit him.

"Mr. Chef Supervisor!" He called out, catching Bard's attention.

"Huh? Super… Chef Supervisor?! Are you referring to me?!" He questioned, jumping up in shock.

"Of course!" Agni chimed. "I'm not familiar with English cuisine. Do you mind helping me out?"

"Leave everything to me!" Bard shouted, throwing a fist up in the air.

"In that case, would you help chop up the onions?"

Bard took a basket of onions from him happily. "It will be easily done! I am the Chef Supervisor, after all!"

As he pulled on his goggles and began chopping, Finny peeked his head in the door.

"What a delicious smell…" He drooled. "What's for dinner today?"

"Lad! You came at the right time!" Agni said, surprising Finny. "Are you willing to help out with making dinner?"

"Eh? Me?" He said excitedly, before growing quiet and putting his index fingers together nervously. "Um… but… my strength is too large. So Mr. Sebastian forbids me to touch anything in the kitchen…"

"It's good that you are very strong! In that case, please use the spoon to smash these potatoes before sieving them." Agni said, passing him the bowl. "This is a job that is extremely taxing on one's strength. Can I count on you to do it?"

"It requires strength? Since that's the case, I might be able to do it! I wanna do it! Please allow me to do it!"

"Thanks for the trouble!" Agni said as Finny got to work.

"Sure thing!"

Mey-Rin poked her head in then. "Erm… ah…Where is Mr. Sebastian?"

Agni smiled. "Mr. Sebastian is cooking in the inner kitchen."

"Then I shall help to set the table!"

She hurried off to the cutlery storeroom, but Agni was worried about her getting the heavy plates and followed after her. It was good that he did, because he was just in time to catch Mey-Rin as she fell, taking the heavy plates with her.

"Miss Maid, I hope you aren't hurt, are you?" He asked as he set her down.

"Y-Yes! I am okay."

He smiled. "The big plates should be rather heavy for girls! When taking the plates down from a high place, it'll be best if you take them one by one for your own safety. It won't be nice if you fall and injure yourself."

"S-Sure…" She said, cheeks a little pink.

After a moment of everyone doing what they were told, they started to have light conversation. Though, the topic didn't stay light for long.

"I hope that other guy isn't eating with us again." Bard grumbled. "I mean, can you believe how he ignored me and acted like he was all high and mighty?!"

Agni blinked. "Who is this person?"

Bard waved a hand, lifting his goggles not that he'd finished chopping the onions. "He's that Chinese guy's bodyguard or whatever."

"A-Alex." Mey-Rin supplied quietly, pink dusting her face once more.

"Yeah, him."

Agni seemed confused. "But Mr. Alex seems like a very nice person."

"What?!" Bard said loudly in shock. "No way! That guy's a total jerk! He slammed me against the counter and threatened me!"

Agni frowns. "That does not sound like the Alex I saw. While he is very quiet and soft-spoken, I do not see him as being aggressive."

"He pointed a gun at me!" Bard shouted as Finny hesitantly nodded.

"H-He was a little scary."

"I-I-I…" Mey-Rin drew in a breath. "I don't think he's a bad person!"

This shocked Bard and Finny as she stuttered out an explanation.

"H-He, um, he helped me earlier."

Bard frowned. "So? He's still a jerk in my books."

Agni was worried about how the servants were speaking of Alex and, while he didn't know what happened, he didn't believe that Alex was a bad person either.

"P-Perhaps he was having a bad day."

"That's not reason to shove me up against the counter like he did." Bard countered Mey-Rin's attempt.

Agni caught their attention then. "I do not believe Alex is a bad person. I fear that he has been through very much and, while I do not know what has happened to him, it is possible that he was having a bad experience and possibly lashed out. He appears to be a very caring person to me and has already helped Mr. Ciel and Miss Maid. I have no doubt that his heart is pure. So perhaps you may give him another chance."

Bard looked over at Agni's bright smile and eventually let out a long sigh. "I _suppose_ I could try one more time… but if he screws it up, I'm not going to be happy!"

Agni's smile grew and everyone went back to work in a more pleasant mood than before, though things in the Phantomhive manor wouldn't be pleasant for much longer.

* * *

"So, who is the woman that you are looking for?" Ciel questioned at dinner as Soma stuffed his face, making me struggle to keep my stomach from growling.

"She was my servant ever since I was born. You can say that she's like a nanny. We have been together for as long as I can remember." He said. "My father has no interest in me. And my mother only strives to attract my father's attention, paying me no heed. I'm always left on my own in the castle, but Mina is always by my side."

" _But he is always by my side…"_ I swallowed at the memory, feeling a knot in my stomach.

"She's cheerful and pretty, and taught me a lot of things, just like an older sister would."

" _He's smart and happy and teaches me all about life and school, just like an older brother would…"_ I grit my teeth, struggling to keep my expressions in check.

"I don't feel as lonely as long as Mina is with me. I love Mina and Mina loves me as well."

" _I-I love him and he likes me too, right?…"_ I felt the knot move up to my throat and my breathing became a bit more erratic, though I tried my best to keep calm. _Stop it. Just stop it! He's gone! He was gone a long time ago, so just… Just stop thinking about him!_

Soma slammed his fist into the table, doing little to stop my impeding thoughts. "However, that fellow… after the festival of the English nobles, they took Mina away with them!"

"What exactly happened?" Lau questioned, though I could feel his eyes on me as I clenched my fists behind my back.

"The ruler of India, Queen Victoria recognizes that Bengal enjoys political autonomy. But in actuality, more than half of the political matters are managed by political consultants sent by England." Soma said, twirling his fork. "In reality, we are just like any British ruled colony. Around three months ago, that fellow went to pay a visit to a political consultant!" Soma stabbed the fork into his fish. "That person showed interest in Mina after seeing her in the castle. He took advantage of my absence while I was outside the castle on an observation and shipped Mina off to England!"

"In other words, he brought the woman back to England?" Ciel asked, hands under his chin as Sebastian poured his tea.

 _Stop thinking about him. Stop, stop, stop. He's not coming back. He's gone! So stop thinking about it!_ I mentally scolded as Ciel upset Soma.

"But you are just kicking a fuss over a female servant."

"This is not just a minor matter! The castle is like an empty box without Mina around!" Soma yelled, getting up and grabbing Ciel. "Do you know the despair I felt when I was forced to separate from Mina?! I never felt so—"

"I don't." Ciel cut him off as my own mind grew more and more frantic.

" _What's the point of living without him?! This life is nothing if he's not here in it! Don't you know how I feel?!"_

 _Smack!_

" _Like I give a shit! You're just some stupid faggot who doesn't know his place! Now stop your stupid whining and go off and die if you're so upset!"_

My breathing was getting worse. Short and clipped, enough so that it felt like I was stuck in a fish bowl without enough air and dark spots danced in my vision, yet my hearing was completely clear.

"The meager feelings that arise from that degree of matter, I cannot and do not wish to comprehend them. There are some things that you can never get back no matter how much effort you put in. And there are some feeling of despair that you can never ever shake off. You're probably unable to comprehend that." Ciel's voice rang clearly through my head, blending with the voice of my uncle as he shouted at me.

" _You're stupid feelings are meaningless! You're just another dirty rat with no friends! Get over yourself and die!"_

I vaguely registered the door clicking shut behind Ciel and decided that I needed to get out of here, _now._

"M-May I be excused…" I questioned Lau shakily, earning a nod as I left as quickly as I could without alerting the others in the room to my turmoil.

Once outside of the room, I bolted down to the servant's quarters and out the back door into the snow, trying to breathe since my lungs had yet to work while in that room. I needed to move, go elsewhere other than here where people can see me, so I ran. I ran and ran until I was deep in the forest edging the outskirts of the Phantomhive manor. The snow had been falling all day and was still falling, but I could care less for the cold and shouted in anguish as I went to the nearest tree and bashed my fists against it. I was clueless to how long I had spent outside beating my hands against the tree, but I ran out of steam eventually and fell to my knees in the snow, resting my forehead against the tree as I struggled to rein in my breathing.

" _There are some things that you can never get back no matter how much effort you put in."_

Ciel's words echoed in my head as tears slipped down my frozen cheeks and blood dripped off my torn up hands. _I can't get him back… I can never get him back. He's gone. He's gone! So stop acting like this!_ I choked back a sob, gritting my teeth and clenching my eyes shut, throwing my fist one last time into the tree before all my energy seemed to leave me and I collapsed into the snow.

* * *

Those questions were back on his mind again. Sebastian had seen how Alex was reacting to Soma's words and wondered if he, like his master, had also lost someone close. He didn't have time to think about it before having to help Ciel prepare for bed, but it seems even _he_ was thinking something along the same lines.

"What did Alex do after I left?"

"My lord?"

Ciel scowled at Sebastian's shocked face. "Don't give me that. I doubt you didn't notice the way he was acting. So what did he do?"

"He simply asked to be excused and has apparently left the mansion, seeing as I cannot sense him within here."

Ciel sighed, pulling a hand through his hair. "That idiot. Doesn't he know it's freezing? Make sure to bring him back. We don't need one of the few useful people we have going off and dying in the snow over something like this."

Sebastian smirked, bowing. "Yes, my lord."

"Have you looked up anything about him yet?" Ciel questioned, curious. "I doubt he acted that way without reason."

Sebastian's smirk twisted into a thoughtful frown. "There is nothing of him before he met Lau. No orphanages, relatives, friends, or any other… _affiliations_ despite what he has told us about his Uncle."

Ciel scowled in disgust. "Fine, no records or he's lying to us. But what have you discovered about him?"

Sebastian placed a finger to his chin in thought. "From how he reacts to certain situations, I believe that he has lost someone close to him and has an aversion to contact from people other than those he's close to. This makes me wonder if perhaps he's been abused physically, though there is the possibility of sexually as well. He seems to have a slight aversion to men too, until he has discovered their intentions. He is also fairly intelligent and may have had some sort of education, but there are no records of such, so perhaps he has learned from someone else. A… third party if you will. However, I know of no one who would have taught him something as skillful as playing the violin."

Ciel raised a brow. "The violin?"

Sebastian nodded. "He was staring rather longingly at yours after our tutoring session earlier today. Him playing is the only likely assumption."

Sighing, Ciel grabbed his robe and put it on, confusing Sebastian as he grabbed a deck of cards. "I better go play with that idiot Soma or he'll never leave me alone when I want to get things done… I expect you to inform me when you've retrieved Alex."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian said, bowing as Ciel left, before sighing and glancing out the dark window as snow fluttered down. _Though I have a few things I need to do before I can even do that._ "Busy. Busy."

Once he had his chores done, Sebastian put on a coat and grabbed a thick blanket, knowing that if Alex hadn't yet returned, then he was most likely freezing out in the snow. Sighing, Sebastian walked out the front door and took off towards where he sensed Alex was. He was quite a ways away from the mansion and Sebastian started to become a little worried when he smelled blood. _Did we have intruders?_ As he picked up his pace, he quickly reached Alex and let out a long sigh as he looked down at him, half-buried in the snow.

"Seems I was worried for almost nothing."

He reached down and brushed off as much snow as he could before moving to wake him, only to freeze.

"Stop it…" Alex whimpered, face scrunched in frustration as a tear fell from his closed eyes, marking a path down his pale face. "H-He's already… Don't think about it… Just… s-s-stop…"

 _So he_ has _lost someone… Hm… Someone close too. He never shows this much emotion._ Sebastian slowly picked him up and placed him on his back, draping the blanket over him and running back to the mansion. _He's lighter than he should be, but not overly so. I will have to be sure he eats while he's here._ Sebastian mused, entering the mansion and heading to a guest room where he removed Alex's wet clothes and eyed the scars that were on his body. _He's gained a few more, though nothing big._ He then looked over the small scar from Madam Red's knife just over his right eyebrow and the large scar marring Alex's chest from where he'd been stabbed by Grell, brushing a couple of fingers over it, but frowning when he realized something.

"He's warm…"

Sebastian placed a hand on his forehead and his frown grew. Alex had a high fever and was sweating, despite just being outside in the freezing snow. Quickly, Sebastian went and got small towel and a tub of water, before grabbing more blankets. With Alex wrapped up warmly, a pot of coals under the blankets to help and a cool wet cloth on his forehead, Sebastian went to bandage his hands and check the damage. He couldn't help another sigh escaping his lips as he cleaned his hands. He pulled out bits of bark and Alex had skinned his knuckles to the bone. The odd thing was, as Sebastian cleaned it, he could see it slowly stitching itself back together.

"What _are_ you?" He whispered to himself, finishing his care and leaving the room with one final glance, eyes flashing pink for a split second.

* * *

The next morning, Sebastian had just finished preparing breakfast and had made his way to Ciel's bedroom, not expecting to catch him actually awake.

"It's rare to see you awake so early."

Ciel scowled as Sebastian handed him his paper. "I was feeling irritated so I had trouble sleeping. It seems that those two stayed out all night. What exactly were they doing?" He flipped through the paper, but paused, glancing up at Sebastian. "How is he?"

"He is quiet ill." Sebastian replied, pouring some tea for Ciel and Lau as he entered the room.

"I assume you are speaking of my dear Alex?"

Sebastian nodded. "He had collapsed out in the snow after dealing damage to one of the trees outside."

Lau sighed, sipping his tea. "He always was one for aggressive venting."

Sebastian sweat dropped. "He has skinned his knuckles to the bone."

Lau blinked. "Has he?"

"Do you care at all for him?!" Ciel scolded.

"Hm? Of course I do."

Ciel sighed as Sebastian shook his head slightly and went on. "His fever is very high and he has been unconscious for some time now. Though, I fear he may be so for a while longer. He is not yet showing any signs of improvement and he may have caught pneumonia."

Ciel's eyes widened. "Pneumonia?!"

It _was_ , after all, the late 1800s. Things like pneumonia often killed people and Ciel wasn't the only person in the room who knew that.

"Oh dear. After we just got him back too." Lau sighed, not appearing to outwardly concerned, though who knows what he was really thinking. "Perhaps he'll perform another miracle."

Ciel glared at the Chinese man, before turning to Sebastian. "Is there anything you can do?"

"While his fever is very high, if it _is_ pneumonia, it has not yet progressed enough to be life threatening. However, I will do what I can to treat him."

Ciel gave Sebastian a nod. "Treat him as best you can, though… I _am_ curious as to what set him off. So let me know when he awakens."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

I awoke shivering under a thick set of blankets, curled up around myself in a ball and a headache pounding behind my clenched shut eyes. _It hurts…_ Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and moved to come out from under the blankets only to notice something odd once I did. Everything seemed a little bigger. I didn't know what it was and just shrugged it off, deciding that maybe a bit of walking around would help ease the throbbing in my head and the heat radiating off my body from fever. Hopping out of the bed, I started walking slowly down the hall, mind still in a daze until I realized that my eyesight was only about a foot off the ground. _What the hell?_

I blinked, looked around and then sat down there in the middle of the hall, mentally begging and pleading that I was not what I thought I was. _Oh_ please _don't tell me what the Undertaker said would happen is happening now. The last thing I need is to look down and find that I'm not—_

"Oh? What's this?" A familiar voice halted my thoughts abruptly and I stiffened as I was apparently _picked up_ around the middle and lifted to see the childish face of the absolute _last_ person I wanted to see. "What's a cat like you doing in here?"

The Indian prince Soma stared at me quizzically, and I mentally groaned, struggling to try and get out of his grip. Unfortunately, he had a very good one and after a few seconds, I was too exhausted to fight him any further thanks to the pain thudding inside my skull. _Ugh, I'm so done with this. I'm definitely sick with something, I don't remember how I got into my room in the first place, and I'm some sort of freaking animal now too?! As if my first world didn't hate me enough…_

Soma grinned, clutching me close to his chest with one arm and pointing dramatically into the air with his other. "Come with me then, kitty! Together, let's go get Ciel to let us go after Agni!"

I groaned, but it came out as a low 'meow' and that only made me feel worse. _I'm a freaking_ cat _… Great… If I ever get back to my world, that stray I picked up is_ so _dead._ Soma carried me down the hall and stopped just outside of the lounge where Ciel was probably at, looking down at me with a frown.

"I don't know if he likes cats." Soma muttered. "He might not let me take you…"

 _Good, then let me go._ I mentally complained, glaring at him, but he must've thought I was giving him puppy dog eyes or something, because his eyes grew wide with tears and he suddenly pressed my face up against his cheek with a coo.

"Aw! I'll never leave you, kitty! I shall hide you under my cloak! That way, Ciel will never know and you can still come with me!"

I let out a strangled 'meow' of complaint as he shoved me under his cloak as he said and told me to behave. I went to complain, but remembered that I was a cat and couldn't really get my point across. Thankfully, I found an opening and managed to sneak away and back to my room, deciding that I'd had enough of a walk. That, and it was warm under my blankets, easing the slight wheezing I was making and making me drowsy. _Just what I needed, stuck as some shape shifting cat and hiding under my blankets with a really bad cold of some kind… But I guess as long as no one finds me like this…_

Thankfully, when I was woken up again, I was back in my usual body and feeling a lot better, aside from my slightly labored breathing. _Must have fluid in my lungs or something…_ I mused, forcing myself to get up and placing a hand on my chest, taking deep breathes, confirming that I was wheezing a little still. With a sigh, I ignored the slight obtrusion to my breathing and cleaned myself up before getting dressed. I noticed that my hands were still pretty cut up, but they had healed enough that I didn't need bandages, so I tossed out the ones that had unraveled themselves while I was a cat.

 _Which reminds me… what_ was _that?_ I flexed my hand, eyeing my fingers and being grateful that I had them instead of claws, but still not really being sure what this meant. _Can I change into a cat now? Not that I would want to, but… the Undertaker said I was a shape-shifter, right? He said something about my abilities as one too… Was this cold a part of that somehow? My powers awakening or something and it just sent my body haywire?_ I shook my head, ignoring the slight headache when I did so, and I tossed my thoughts to the back of my mind deciding to sort them out later. I had work to do, after all. Taking care of a child like Lau was a full time job.

I sighed, fixing my hat and heading out of the room, only to wrinkle my nose at the assault of scents that hit me. _My body must still be out of it a little. I must be careful not to let something like my senses get away with someone finding out about me._ It was difficult though. Just walking down the hall I was assaulted by scents of floor cleaner, flowers from the vases scattered about, paint from the walls and paintings, and old scents of people who passed through. It was a struggle with them all hitting me at once, but I decided that I could get through it if I focused on one scent and then moved to another until I had my nose under control. That helped a little, and I was able to follow one scent in particular to the room where Ciel and the others were at, but the moment I opened the door, a whole new bombardment of scent hit me along with the shouting of a familiar Indian prince.

"How did he leave me behind so easily?!"

I watched as Soma swung his hands across the table, throwing fine China all over and towards Lau and Ciel. I quickly hurried forward and caught the plate aiming for Lau's head and used it to knock away the tea cup that had been heading for Ciel with a cringe, not liking the fact that I had to ruin nice China in the process. Soma was ignorant to this though and continued to shout.

"Why?! Why is it that everyone around me vanishes?! Why?! Why?!"

I winced at his words, not liking the echoing of my own from years ago rattling around in my head, as he hurried out of the room and I let out a long sigh; trying to ignore the slight wheezing in my chest.

"Are you okay, Lau? Earl?" I asked as Sebastian also headed over.

"Thanks to you." Lau chirped with a grin. "I'm glad to see you up and around, Alex."

I nodded and turned to Ciel, who eyed me warily before nodding as well. I gave him the slightest of bows before turning my eyes to the broken China on the ground, leaning over and picking up a piece, before turning my eyes towards Sebastian as he hovered nearby.

"Apologies about the China." I muttered quietly.

He shook his head with a smirk. "It is not your fault. Though it is a shame to have the Haviland tea set that I went to the trouble of picking out for the young master destroyed. I guess I should… teach him some manners."

I blinked at Sebastian's serious face, feeling my own heat up slightly as he walked off and a shiver racked my spine, fearful for what I knew was going to happen to Soma.

"Oyah? It's strange to see him so serious." Lau commented, glancing at me with a devilish smirk. "Neh, Alex?"

I felt the heat creep towards the tips of my ears and quickly ducked my head back down to pick up more of the China as Ciel scoffed.

"Knowing him, he'll get out of hand. Alex, leave the China."

I hesitated, watching as Ciel stood and glanced down at me with a scowl.

"You're Lau's bodyguard, not my servant. So leave it. I'll send the servants in to clean it up."

He left then, but I stared down at the glass shards and resumed picking them up.

"Oh? You're being awfully defiant, Alex~" Lau said with a smirk. "Trying to appease the butler?"

The glass shard I had in my hand slipped, cutting into my finger as I snapped my head towards Lau with a blush creeping up my face.

"A-Absolutely not!" I said loudly, turning back to what I was doing and trying to hide my face from him; brushing the drop of blood from my finger off on my pants. "I felt I should be of some use to the Earl since he sent someone to get me and take care of me."

"Mm~ That someone being Sebastian?"

"Ye—" I cut myself off, giving Lau a glare from over my shoulder at what he had just accomplished. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" He asked innocently.

I sighed, standing and dropping the shards I had collected onto an unbroken plate on the table. "You know what."

"Oh? Do you have no confidence that you could win the butler over?" He asked, making that heat crawl back up my neck as I rounded on him in shock and slight fear.

"H-How long have you known?"

 _I mean, I thought he knew, but I wasn't sure. This is just proving it. And rather bluntly, at that…_ I was scared though, and for good reason. Nothing good ever came from people finding out about my sexual orientation back home and this was the Victorian Era. I doubted anyone would just willingly accept it. Well, except perverts like the Viscount. That thought alone, sent chills up my spine and I grew even more worried as Lau hummed, a finger pressed to his bottom lip.

"About your liking of men? A long while now. Probably not long after you began working for me face-to-face." He said, before giving me that smirk of his. "It's fun teasing you though. You're always so stoic until you see a handsome face~"

I thought my face couldn't get any redder, but Lau proved me wrong. There was just something I was very confused about.

"But… You're not upset? You won't fire me or anything?"

"Hm? Why would I do that? It'd be a shame to loose such a valuable worker a second time around. And besides…" He stood up and leaned in close to me, making my breath hitch as he tucked a finger under my chin and cracked open his deep brown eyes. "…you're just too cute, sometimes."

I couldn't figure out what to say. My mouth was opening and closing like a fish, but nothing was coming out. _D-Does Lau…_ like _me?! And he doesn't care that I'm gay? But… That doesn't make any sense! I'm not even nice to look at or anything! So why—_ My thoughts were cut off as we both heard a noise to our left and turned our heads to find poor Mey-Rin there with blood practically pooling out of her nose.

"Ah, we've been caught." Lau said, as I hurried to Mey-Rin's side and waved my hand in front of her face, getting no reaction for a moment before she stood ramrod straight and began apologizing.

"Ah! I am s-sorry! I-I should not have been peeking in, no I should not! I apologize f-f-for disturbing you while you were, u-um…"

Her face grew red and more blood seemed to pour out of her nose, and I sighed before pulling a handkerchief out of my pocket and holding it up to her nose.

"I-It's alright, Mey-Rin. Just… if you could, could you not mention this to anyone? It could affect Lau's business."

She took the handkerchief from me and held it against her nose with a frantic nod. "O-Oh yes! I will not breathe a word of it!"

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

She turned a bright red once more before hurrying to leave, but I caught her arm quickly.

"Sorry, but do you perhaps know where there's a broom?"

"Ah!" She shouted, making me cringe a little. "I-I was supposed to clean up the broken China, yes I was!"

"I will do it." I said, catching her by surprise. "I… need to apologize to Bard as well. I was rather rude before, though, I will need to be pointed towards a broom first."

She nodded hastily and started to lead the way, but I glanced back at Lau who just smiled.

"Go on. I will wait here." He said with a wave and I nodded, following after Mey-Rin.

The walk wasn't a long one, but she informed me that the broom wasn't in the supplies closet like she thought so it must be in the kitchen. The very same kitchen that Bard and Finny were lounging in. Now, it wasn't that I was afraid of them or anything. I mean, I knew that Finny was ridiculously strong and an experiment, and that Bard was an ex-army man… that I'd slammed into a table and threatened with a gun… _Crap, that_ does _sound bad, doesn't it?_ Yeah, no. I wasn't afraid of them and I actually really liked Bard back in my old world. I just didn't know what to say to get them to like me again after what I'd done. _And I doubt saying that I was hungry and cranky will cut it._

"We're here, yes we are." Mey-Rin said, before opening the door and allowing me to follow her in.

Finny and Bard were laughing about something, but upon spotting me, they stopped. Finny cowered a bit and Bard frowned, before scoffing and turning away; ignoring me as he spoke to Mey-Rin.

"Hey, I thought you were cleaning up the stuff that broke. Did you forget something?"

Mey-Rin nodded, pushing up her glasses and bringing me the broom. "I-I forgot the broom, but… Alex said he would clean it for me."

I took it from her with a small nod in Bard's direction, but he scoffed again and I hesitantly headed over, before bowing low at the waist.

"I deeply apologize for before." I said, sincerely. "I should not have acted that way regardless of how my day went."

I then stood straight, before turning to Finny and bowing as well.

"I apologize for frightening you as well. There was no need for me to be so rude to the servants of the Earl."

Bard bristled in front of me as I stood upright, before he grabbed my shirt in a fist. "Is that all we are to ya?! Servants of the Earl?! You're only apologizing so your boss can save face!"

Every fiber of my being wanted to rip Bard's hand off me and run, a knot forming its way up my throat, but I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, staying calm.

"That is not true. While I do care for my own master's reputation, I also care about being in good relations with the people I meet. I… am not one who wants to make enemies."

"Well, it's a bit late for that, don't you think?" He growled, but I seemed to have convinced Finny, who tugged on his sleeve in worry.

"But, he _did_ apologize, Bard. Maybe it's like Agni said."

I had no idea what he meant about what Agni said, but I assumed that the handsome looking Indian had defended me in some way. Though Bard was still not convinced.

"He still threatened me for some stupid reason!" Bard growled out, glaring at me, so I decided to try something.

"What do you want me to do?"

He looked confused. "Huh?"

"What will it take for you to forgive me?" I asked. "If you wish to hit me, that is fine."

His eyes widened and he released me. "You… want me to _hit_ you?"

"If you will forgive what I did, then yes. Do as you please."

He smirked then and rolled up his sleeve, rolling his arm as I stood there, silently wishing that I hadn't offered that. _No taking it back now._

"Alright then!"

He pulled back his fist and I shut my eyes, bracing myself, before I was hit squarely in the jaw and knocked back onto the ground. My head was ringing and I had to admit, Bard has a very good hit, but that seemed to do the trick because once I'd sat up and placed a hand on my already swelling jaw, I spotted another hand in front of me. Bard was there grinning with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth, offering me help up, which I gratefully took. He cheerfully clapped me hard on the back as Mey-Rin handed me some ice for my jaw.

"Well, I suppose that'll do it! But no more threatening, alright?"

I nodded. "Noted."

With that, I picked up the broom I had dropped and headed out, waving at the group over my shoulder, and heading back to where Lau was. The moment he saw my face, he just chuckled and let me get about sweeping up the glass off the hardwood flooring. As soon as I finished though, he still wouldn't move.

"We should move to another room, Lau." I grumbled, and he pouted, holding his arms out like a child.

"Then carry me!"

"No." I stated bluntly.

"But you might have missed some glass! I could hurt myself!"

I sighed, before reluctantly picking him up on my back and leaving the room for the lounge. I tried to put him down the moment we were out of the room, but he clung to my neck tightly and wouldn't let go, so I had no choice but to walk the halls with him smiling smugly on my back. I was grateful Sebastian and Ciel hadn't seen us, or I'd be thoroughly embarrassed. Once he was settled, I poured some tea once I'd prepared it and we both waited for Ciel and Sebastian's return. It didn't take them too long and once everyone was seated, Lau smiled.

"Well then, shall we continue the discussion we were having before the prince interrupted?"

Said prince looked awfully frightened of, who I could only guess was Sebastian. My point was proven when Sebastian set a cup of tea before him and he cowered away from him with a pale, frightened expression. I sweat dropped though. _What horrors could he have done to petrify the poor prince? Oh wait, I already know._ I sighed quietly to myself from behind Lau, hearing Sebastian lightly listing off all the events that were going on that Agni could be attending. As stated before, I never really cared for the Curry Arc. The most exciting thing that happened was the Queen going bananas over her long lost husband and being cheered up by a puppet. _Oh yeah. Most definitely the weirdest thing that happened and… it's kind of sad that it's the most exciting. Though, the anime was a bit more exciting with the mind control curry._ I frowned, having a sudden thought. _I don't know which version of Black Butler I'm in, do I?_

I zoned out, trying to remember the differences in the manga and anime from where I showed up until now, but nothing was standing out. The anime didn't start differing until this arc and the very first episode, but I wasn't here to witness that, and there wasn't really a good way to ask Sebastian or Ciel about that. _Either they scared the crap out of that guy and threatened him or they didn't. I can't just go, 'Hey, Ciel! You know that business partner you have? Did you happen to shove him into an oven and try and turn him into mincemeat pie? Just curious'._ I sweat dropped at the thought, coughing lightly into my hand at the scratchy feeling in my throat left over from my cold. It was strangely the only symptom left, making me believe further that it _did_ have something to do with my shape-shifting powers. I was finally startled out of my reverie by Soma, shouting.

"That's impossible!"

"Eh?" Everyone questioned and I silently tried to figure out where in the conversation they were at.

"West is competing in a curry contest?! There is no way you can win!"

"Why not?" Lau questioned.

"He has Agni! With his right hand of God!"

 _Ah, so that's where we're at._ I mused, before ignoring the conversation of curry and Agni's amazing skills of creating it. I actually thought I was falling asleep standing up, having felt a huge sweep of exhaustion rush over me. _I suppose it's to be expected though. I haven't slept much until I got sick and even then, it was for maybe a day. I'm still not feeling top notch either. My chest still feels weird._ I sighed again, moving my jaw around with a wince, before shoving my hands in my pockets and moving back into the shadows to lean against a wall. I must have dozed off for a bit though, because I was awoken by none other than Sebastian, jabbing me harshly on my bruised cheek.

"Ow!" I shouted, not pleased by the rude awakening, though Sebastian was smiling brightly.

"I see you've managed to get yourself into a situation and falling asleep on the job, _shame_ on you."

I frowned, smacking his hand away, and turning towards Lau as he snickered behind his sleeve. "Are you going to retire now, Lau?"

He nodded with a wave. "Yes, but don't let _me_ get between you and your fun."

I glared, silently asking him what part of this he thinks is fun, but he just chuckled and excused himself from the table to head to bed with me following behind him. _Ah, I wish this arc would move along faster. Any longer, and I'm sure I'll die of embarrassment between Lau and Sebastian's endless teasing._

* * *

The first day of Sebastian's curry cooking wasn't that bad. I hadn't tried any, but Soma had declared it junk and when all eyes went to Lau to get spices, he had turned to me with a grin. Him being my boss, there wasn't much I could do, so that night I went and got a hold of almost every spice known to man and had it packed away. It was nice, because it kept me from the manor for a day, but I knew the second day that I needed to deliver the heavy bags and return to the mansion. It was a lot of bags, mind you, so it took a number of carriages and Lau, being the _ever_ so kind boss that he was, had put me in charge of controlling the finances in his group as well due to my knowledge and skills at math. So I wasn't just finding the ingredients and gathering them, no. I was arranging transportation of them as well as managing the costs for them and the transport. What's more, my work wasn't done when they arrived, and I was forced into doing the manual labor to carry them into the mansion as well.

"Amazing!" I heard Soma call out, a handful of one of the spices in front of him as Bard, Finny, and Sebastian joined in carrying the heavy bags. "They are all the things I have seen in my country!"

"Amazing! All of these are ingredients for curry!" Finny exclaimed, as I lifted a bag over my shoulder and held another under my arm with a roll of my eyes.

"It all smells wonderful. They are premium spices." Sebastian comments as I shifted my glance to Lau who shrugged.

"To prepare them all in one day, the Earl sure has a rough way to use people. I'm not even an expert in spices."

"You are only useful at a time like this." Ciel said, watching the process as I headed over to pass the two of them.

"Meh, it's never a bad time to do the Earl a favor."

I stopped and set a bag of spices down rather roughly in front of him, catching their attention and making Lau chuckle nervously as I frowned at him and dug into my pocket.

"Then you will know how to handle the _costs_ for said favor, Lau."

I handed him the bill and picked up the spice bag before heading off, only to hear him whining and chasing after me.

"Alex!~ You _know_ I'm not that good with numbers! You can't leave me with this!"

I ignored him for the most part, him following me like a puppy and begging me to figure out how to pay for this with our budget, and once Sebastian was back in the kitchen and Soma, Lau, and Ciel were left in the dining hall with nothing to do but play card games, I finally gave in and asked permission to sit down at the table with them and began working out the finances.

"I didn't know you educated your workers to this degree, Lau." Ciel said, though I didn't even lift my eyes from my work.

"Hm? Oh, we only teach them what they need to know, Earl. The basics of reading and writing, but little Alex here already knew that and more." He smiled when I glanced up at him briefly. "He was quite the catch."

I gave him a twitch of a smile before looking back down and crunching numbers once more. Ciel though, continued to ask questions.

"I'm curious." He said. "Who taught you, if not Lau? Was it your uncle?"

I tensed at the mention of the man, but shook my head. "No. I either taught myself or I… had a friend who taught me some." I lied, knowing that the possibility of me paying for my schooling like I did back home, was virtually impossible where I was.

"A friend? He must have been rather well off, if he could afford to be educated then. Who was he? Anyone I may know?"

I frowned slightly, glancing up and holding Ciel's even gaze. _He's up to something. Since when does he take interest in someone else to this degree? Last I checked, it's only when he wants something. Information, perhaps? My past is nothing special though. So I'll keep it to myself._ I looked back down at my work, calm as ever.

"No. You wouldn't know him."

Ciel raised a brow, though I could feel him plotting. "You never know. We might bump into each other on the street some tim—"

"No. You won't." I said, lifting my gaze in slight anger. "He's dead."

Ciel's visible eye widened, before he covered it up. "I see…"

Conversation between me and them was pretty much over with at that point, though Soma muttered a small 'sorry', and I was left to do my work on my own for a while. A couple of hours past and I had just finished up the finances, when Sebastian suddenly showed up and stopped the card game with a bowl of curry.

"Sorry for the wait. Here is a curry featuring soft chicken boiled with spices and onions. It's seasoned with coriander and yogurt."

I raised a brow, mouthing those words. _Coriander and yogurt? I seriously cannot see how those two would be good together._ No one else seemed to care, but Soma was shocked at how quickly Sebastian made it.

"You made this?! It's been two hours!"

"Yeah." Sebastian sighed. "I spent two hours on it. I apologize for making you wait."

"It's okay, besides, this smell… It's really similar to Agni's curry." Soma took a sniff and I did as well, before wrinkling my nose.

 _Man, the spices are bugging my nose… But at least it's not as bad as when I first woke up._ I quickly packed up my papers and tucked them away in a suitcase I had brought with me, going to get up and leave the table, but Ciel sent me a look that practically ordered me to stay. I swallowed thickly and glanced at Lau, but he just smiled so I sat as Soma continued to question Sebastian.

"How did you do it in such a short time?!"

"It's an easy task." Sebastian smirked. "I just tasted all the spices."

"All of them?! All of them?!"

"Yes. I tried to combine spices that would achieve the same smell as Agni's curry from the other morning."

"You could do it just from the smell?" Soma asked in shock.

Sebastian just smiled and tapped the end of his nose. "My nose is better than a humans."

Internally, I sweat dropped. _How does no one catch onto this guy? He's practically_ telling _them he's a demon._

"Meh, prince." Lau said from beside me, holding a hand up. "Che dao shan qian bi you lu. How about trying to eat it first?"

Soma sat back down, having absolutely no clue what Lau said in Chinese, but nodded. "Eh, sure. Okay…"

"Let's give it a go." Lau smirked. "The smell is totally different from before. These spices give off a nice smell."

He picked up his spoon and then did something unexpected. He held it out to me.

"Say 'aw'~"

I stared at him in shock, not exactly knowing what to do and Ciel smacked a hand to his forehead.

"Idiot. Just eat it already."

I was hesitant, but opened my mouth, allowing Lau to feed me, though a blush worked its way up to the tips of my ears.

"Well?" Lau asked, and I looked down at the bowl in surprise.

"It's good."

"You're going to have to give us a little more than that." Lau pouted, but I was stubborn and stayed silent so he took a bite. "This is… Mei pao! The taste of ground spices really stimulates the appetite. The well-done chicken is so soft melts in the mouth."

 _I personally think it needs fish…_ I stiffened at that thought and mentally groaned. _Oh hell. I'm craving fish now?! Stupid cat shape-shifting!_

"Prince Soma, what do you think?" Sebastian asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

He shook his head. "Nah. The smell is good, but the flavor is a totally different thing."

Sebastian placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Is that so… Then I'll try another combination that will give the same smell but a different flavor."

I felt a sudden tense feeling in the air and turned to Soma, who seemed to be struggling with something.

"It'd be good if I knew how Agni cooked his curry… Even just a little. I really know nothing. Even though I really want to help, I just can't! In the end, I'll have to rely on you." Soma place a hand to his face. "I'm such—"

"Please do not blame yourself." Sebastian said, placing a hand on Soma's shoulder with a smile that made my face heat up. "There is something that even you can do."

 _Uh-oh. Something tells me that his smile is something I_ shouldn't _be blushing at, but that I should be worried about…_ Sure enough, the servants started coming in, carrying pot after pot of curry and once they were all set out Sebastian's cunning smile suddenly made sense.

"I have cooked many curries which have a similar smell, but each has a different flavor. Please taste them all and select the one that resembles Agni's the best."

"You made all of this?! Alone?!" Soma shouted.

"Yep." Sebastian said, picking up a ladle and spoon to serve up a dish. "As the butler of Phantomhive, how could I not be capable of such things?"

"B-But… I don't think that I alone can eat that much curry."

"Prince, Soma… Please collaborate with me in order to make a curry similar to that Godly curry… quickly." He added as an afterthought, though I couldn't help but think how convincing it sounded.

 _If you were an idiot like Soma._ I sweat dropped and, sure enough, Soma gathered up his courage.

"Okay, I get it now! If eating this curry will help you out, then I will eat all of it, no matter how much!"

Sebastian placed a plate in front of me as well, with a smile, but I wrinkled my nose; catching his attention apparently.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

I tensed before shaking my head. "No. It's just… the smell is messing with my nose."

I rubbed under my nose a bit, but began helping the servants and Soma test out each dish. The first was too spicy, the next had the wrong smell, the next was too bland, and the last was too strong. After all these and more, Mey-Rin and Bard couldn't eat any more, and Finny and I seemed to be the only ones still feeling okay. Well, I say okay, but my nose was really starting to bother me and it had started up a headache with all the scents of spices flowing around in the room.

"Now, the next curry is ready. Cardamom with garlic."

Soma quickly sat up after having laid his head on the table. "This… This curry is different from before."

He took a bite, as did Finny and I, and I had to admit, it was better than the others. Soma seemed to be in shock though, and Sebastian had prepared a pitcher of water in case it was too spicy for Soma. When he snapped out of it though, even Sebastian was a little lost as to what he was thinking.

"Prince… Soma?"

"T-This curry is… is very close to Agni's curry!"

"You did it, Sebastian!" Finny cheered, as Bard threw an arm over the butler's shoulder.

"As expected of our butler."

"You have made such a complicated combination." Mey-Rin said, on her knees in thanks, but I was still suspicious.

 _Soma said it was close. Which means there's still something wrong, right?_

"But it's still different." Soma said, only confirming my thoughts. "The flavor, smell and spiciness is indeed similar to Agni's. But… something… something is not right!"

"That 'something'… is?"

"Um… I don't know how to explain it even if you ask me… The best I can say is that Agni's curry has a deeper taste. That's it. Substance! There's not enough substance."

Sebastian leaned forward, looking a little annoyed at how Soma phrased it. "Substance?"

"Ah, y-yeah." Soma said, pulling back a little pale.

Sebastian seemed to be thinking for a moment and I thought as well, trying to figure out a better way to phrase what Soma said. Sebastian noticed my thoughtful look and raised a brow.

"Alex, is there something you want to say?"

I flinched, not knowing that I was going to be called on, and hesitantly turned to him. "Perhaps, you need something that will increase the flavor into something more unique and… indescribable, but without changing the curry itself."

He frowned at me. "Your explanation is almost more incomprehensible that the prince's."

I deadpanned, just as the door opened and there stood the Earl and Lau—who'd let me stay to help earlier.

"It seems this is a very hard fight." He said with a cocky smirk. "How's it going?"

"Young master." Sebastian muttered, as I stood to go stand by Lau. "You shouldn't come down here right now…"

Ciel tasted some of the curry from Finny's bowl, but continued to have that smirk on his face. "Three days until the contest. It looks like you're researching very hard." He then made to leave as Lau and I stood outside the door. "Oh, by the way, for today's dessert I'd like to have Gateau Chocolat. Bring it to me later."

Sebastian bowed. "As you wish."

As we walked, Lau smirked. "Oya, oya. You act as if you want your butler to lose."

"Impossible. But… instead of getting the Royal Warrant…" Ciel turned around with a grin. "Don't you think it would be more interesting to see that butler lose?"

He turned back around as Lau looked at me and shrugged with a small sigh. "The Earl is sparkling~ What a bully."

"Says you." I muttered under my breath, making Ciel chuckle.

"You are certainly a curious individual, Alex." Ciel said, briefly glancing back at me as I raised a brow. "You have a mysteriousness about you that reminds me of Sebastian, but you are fairly likable and talk far less."

I sweat dropped at that, though Lau just laughed beside me as Ciel continued.

"Though you are far more… intelligent than my other servants and have an edge to you that I like. You should come work for _me_ , one day."

I nearly tripped at those words, and looked over at Lau in shock. _Oh_ please _don't sell me to him!_ I mentally begged. _I can't handle dealing with Sebastian and his hotness for a day, let alone for the rest of my life! He'll tease me to death!_ Lau seemed to get my message and clung to my arm.

"Earl! I can't give away one of my best assets!" He whined, making Ciel roll his eyes as he opened the door to his study, but then Lau smirked. "However~ I suppose I could share, for the right price."

"Lau!" I called out, not liking where this was headed at all, though Ciel seemed very smug about it.

"What?" Lau pouted, before draping an arm across my shoulders with a devilish grin as he whispered in my ear. "It would give you more chances to get at Mr. Butler~"

Heat crept up my neck, but I stubbornly refused again, unfortunately making Lau pester me well into the night before he finally went to sleep, arms wrapped tightly around my waist despite my previous attempts to get him to let me go. _Damn him._ I thought in frustration. _I don't care if you miss Ran Mao. Hugging me in your sleep's not going to replace her!_ I struggled once more, but he pouted and tightened his grip, causing me to sigh and give up, knowing that I wasn't going to get away from him any time soon and—with how tired I was already—I soon gave in to sleep with the hopes that the nightmares would stay away this once.


	6. Chapter 6

_I stared up at the body swinging lazily from the railing of the second floor, breath caught in my throat as I recognized who it was._ No… I-It can't be… _He was my friend. My only friend. He helped me with everything. Helped me deal with what people were calling me, saved me from what they were doing to me. He was the only one I could turn to, and now._

 _I hurried up the stairs and struggled to pull him back up. It was too hard though, so I quickly rethought my strategy and grabbed a chair from the kitchen, using it to give me some height that I needed to lift him and taking him down. I fell, clattering to the tile floor harshly with his body on top of me as I cried, knowing that I had been too late. They had gotten to him, just as they had gotten to me. I held him close to me, feeling my heart break when I heard the crinkling of paper. In his pocket was a note. Addressed to me. It only said one thing._

 _I'm sorry._

 _My crying grew worse as I shook my head and muttered apologies under my breath, knowing that it was my fault, not his. He had died because I had let them get to him. I let them attack him when I wasn't looking, when they should have been attacking me._

" _I'm s-s-sorry. I'm so sorry." I whispered, fingers gently running through his brown hair as I cradled him in my arms._

 _It grew worse after that. The attacks were more violent. I would be beat first, then raped, then beat again. I nearly died a few times, but managed to drag myself out to a hospital because that's what he would have wanted. After weeks of this though, I was losing hope. I lost my job, I was accused of causing his suicide, and being attacked so often had left me broken and beaten in my home to the point that I wanted to just end it all. I had loved him, after all, and now he was gone. Gone, because I hadn't paid any attention to his suffering and was too selfishly stuck on my own._

 _I forced myself to rise from the floor where I had been lying and limped outside. I made my way to our favorite place. The one building where we felt safe together and I sunk to the ground, slicing my wrist open with my pocket knife and crying, apologizing again and again about not being able to help him. To save him before they took him away. It was my fault. All my fault._

* * *

I awoke with a start, body tense as tears slipped down my face, and I forced myself to do my best not to attack Lau, who had an arm wrapped around my waist still; a hand lightly toughing my bare stomach. I hesitantly pulled away from him, sitting up on the edge of the bed and pressing a hand to my face as I took a deep stuttering breath. The room felt stuffy and hot, so I got up and went to roam the halls, maybe find a place to smoke and help me forget about the nightmare and my—now aching—wrist.

I glanced out the window to see that dawn was approaching, though it was still fairly dark, and I sighed quietly before I found myself down in the servant's kitchen. No one was there, as expected, and I hopped up onto the counter by the window and began preparing my pipe. I took my time, using the slow movements as a distraction, but soon opened the window and took a deep breath of the opium. I felt myself relax almost instantly, my back slumping against the wall as I pulled up my leg and rested my foot on the counter; my hand with the pipe lying across my knee.

As relaxed as I was though, my aching wrist continued to remind me of the memory I had experienced. I still blamed myself for what happened to my friend. Even now, as I sat here smoking, I wonder why he never told me anything or why I never noticed how he felt. _If I had just been paying more attention, I would've seen it. I would've seen the changes that led him to… that…_ I let out the breath of smoke and leaned my head against the edge of the window sill, closing my eyes as I tried to shut myself out of my depressing thoughts. I must have dozed off a bit after that, my mind growing fuzzy with the smoke and lack of sleep, and I was only awakened by the sound of pots being moved around. Peeking my eyes open lazily, I spied the familiar dark silhouette of Sebastian and I sighed as I sat upright and began putting my pipe away.

"I apologize if I disturbed you." He said, glancing at me from over his shoulder. "I was doing what I could to stay quiet."

I didn't respond, not really feeling like saying anything at the moment and tucked my pipe away in my pants pocket before deciding that I needed to wake up a bit and shoved my head under the running faucet. The cold water helped and after a minute, I shut off the water and just stared at the bottom of the sink as it dripped off my hair and the end of my nose. Eventually, I stood up and went to get a towel, but the moment I turned around, Sebastian was standing there with said object, holding it out to me with a closed-eye smile. I gave him a nod of my head in thanks and took it, drying my hair as I leaned back against the counter behind me.

"You seem bothered by something." Sebastian said, making me look up at him from under the towel. "I have heard that talking about things will help ease ones suffering."

I stared at him for a while, just watching him as he continued to smile pleasantly. The thing was though, I don't think he actually wanted to help me. Some part of my mind just shouted that he was only asking to learn more about me and report it back to Ciel. That it was just a trick hidden behind kind words. So, I listened to myself and lowered my eyes again, continuing to dry my hair and remain silent. _I don't really want to talk about it anyway._

"It must be something rather _troubling_ for you to leave your master's side in the early morning hours." He commented, moving back to making breakfast as I frowned slightly and put the damp towel down on the counter.

"It does you no good, Sebastian, to dig into my past." I snipped, moving towards the door. "I keep my personal life to myself for good reason."

"Oh? So you are telling me not to care for my own master's safety should your troublesome past catch up with you?" He asked with a hint of distaste and suspicion.

I pushed open the door and paused, looking back at him with my usual blank expression. "My past only exists with me. It is physically impossible for it to catch up with me, as you so aptly put it, because my past..." I turned away. "...is dead."

I took a deep breath, feeling my legs quivering slightly beneath me as flashes of my nightmare threatened to upset me again, but I pushed the feelings back and walked out with one last thing.

"If you'll excuse me now, I need to wake up Lau. He wished to drop by the den before we leave for the festival. We will meet you there."

I didn't even wait for an answer before walking out and heading back to Lau's room, only to find him already up and dressed; a smile on his face despite him waking up to find me not around.

"Alex! I was wondering where you went."

I bowed my head in apology. "I was dealing with some things and didn't want to wake you. I apologize."

"Hm?" He got up and moved towards me, eyes cracked open and a frown marring his features. "Things concerning your past, I'm assuming?"

I winced slightly, looking away with slight shame. Lau was someone I really enjoyed spending time with, despite all appearances, and a part of that was because he never asked me questions about my past. I knew he would eventually, and there _were_ times when he asked in a more round-about way and I would answer him if the question wasn't too intrusive, but it was one of those things where I needed to be absolutely sure. I needed the right moment, the right time, the right _person_. And, though I'd been with Lau for a long while now, I still wasn't completely sure I could tell my past to _anyone_. Suddenly, my cheeks were being painfully stretched on either side, making me wince and my eyes tear up as Lau whined in front of me.

"Mo, what's with that face, Alex? You act like I was asking you to sign your death certificate."

"Schowee." I apologized, before he released my cheeks and allowed me to rub at the red spots left on them with a small pout of my own.

"I simply wished to inform you that I am willing to be your confidant if you choose to want to discuss things." He offered seriously, his eyes cracked open a bit. "It does you no good to keep things bottled up for long."

I swallowed thickly, wanting to say something, wanting to tell him, but he closed his eyes and grinned once more.

"Come on, Alex. We best return to the den. I promised Ran Mao she'd get to come with us and see the elephants."

Grateful that he'd dropped the discussion, I bowed my head and we left the Phantomhive manor.

* * *

"Wow!" Finny exclaimed, pointing at an elephant nearby. "What is that large animal?!"

"That's an elephant." Soma grinned. "It's a sacred animal. I have some in my palace. About ten."

"Amazing!" Bard shouted

"They can' fit such large animals in your house?!" Mey-Rin also gasped.

"Please try not to wander too far away." Sebastian informed them languidly as Ciel sweatdropped at their goofing off.

"Yo, Earl." A cheerful voice hummed and Ceil turned to see Lao sitting nearby with Ran Mao on his lap and Alex standing at his side. "So, it's time for the big show-down, eh?"

"You brought one of your girls even though you would be in front of clients?" Ciel questioned.

"Meh, Ran Mao is my little sister. Yeah, my little sister. Even though we are not related by blood." Lao hummed, poking Ran Mao in the cheek. "I heard that during the contest they would serve curry to the audience, so I figured I could treat this girl and Alex, of course." He stood and bounded up beside the Earl. "So, the prince's butler is really serious?"

"He betrayed the master he regards as a god. Of course, he is serious." Ciel grumbled. "It's safe to assume that this is all for the prince. He was probably told that once the plan is complete, the girl will be returned to them."

"If so, it sounds like a lie to me." Lao mused, grabbing a trinket off a stall nearby and showing it to Alex, who raised a brow and replaced the object.

"Well, should his plan succeed, letting Agni go after obtaining the royal warrant would possibly mean the leaking of his deeds." Ciel went on, ignorant to the small exchange. "If I was West…"

"You would have him killed?" Lao smirked, looking pleased, though Ciel let out a sigh.

"You really think it would be worth killing someone over?"

"Meh, I'd do it if it was me." Lao said, opening his eyes and shifting them over to Alex, who watched him cautiously. "Well, I'm much more interested in your strategy for today, butler."

Sebastian glanced briefly at Alex, having not missed the exchange between him and Lao, but simply smirked and brought a finger up towards his lips.

"That is—"

"Oh, my! If it isn't Earl Phantomhive!" Someone called out, interrupting the group.

"Ah, Lord West." Ciel greeted.

"Long time no see! It hasn't been since last year's social events, if I recall correctly."

"It's an honor to meet you again." Ciel answered, not meaning it.

"You never change. Wearing a well-tailored coat. So, what brand does someone of the Earl's status wear?"

"My butler picks out all my clothing." Ciel answered, spotting Lao whispering something to Alex, who nodded and vanished from the group. "I don't care at all about brands."

"You never change." West repeated. "Come to think of it, isn't your group competing in this contest?"

"Yes, I'm considering expanding my business into the food industry."

"I was rather surprised to learn that you would enter. Did you go on a hunt for a talented chef? My company cannot lose! We have hired a curry specialist!"

"That so…"

West looked a little worried then, leaning over. "Between you and I, some spies broke into my home. It was terrible. One of my Galle lamps was broken along with a chess set I got at general trading. It scares me to even think of it." He shivered. "Luckily, the secrets of the curry were kept safe. I get the shivers knowing that the criminal may even be here."

Sebastian smiled innocently and Ciel resisted a snort of laughter; covering it with a clearing of his throat.

"Enough about that." West cut in. "I heard that the Queen might be attending the curry show."

"And?"

"Well, since King Albert passed away, her Majesty doesn't appear in public so often." West explained. "I'd like her to taste the curry we are so proud of in front of the audience before I receive the warrant. Oh, this chat has gone on a bit long. I will see you later."

He walked off and Ciel scoffed.

"Before _you_ receive the warrant, eh?"

"He really is certain that he will win." Sebastian commented, searching the shadows for where Alex had disappeared to.

"I can't wait to see his face when he realizes he has lost."

"Yes, my lord. Then, I will head to the competitor's room and wait."

Sebastian wandered off, but finally spotted Alex, leaning outside the room he was supposed to go to. Alex blinked lazily, but pushed off and met him partway.

"Six competitors, some willing to use premixed curry spice. Your only real competition is Agni, though there is room for tampering, should one not be paying attention."

"Anything about the judges?" Sebastian asked, amused that Alex had gone and done reconnaissance for him.

"Palace chef Higharm, tax collector from India, Mr. Carter and…" Alex grimaced, the first hint of emotion Sebastian had seen since the man had walked out of the servant's kitchen earlier. "The Viscount Druitt."

Sebastian snorted, but Alex let slip one more bit.

"And there has been sightings of the Queen leaving the palace, according to my sources." Alex's eyes shifted to Sebastian's, who had grown serious. "Don't make a mess and good luck, butler."

"Luck, has nothing to do with it." Sebastian grinned, eyes flashing magenta and making Alex quickly hurry off; leaving the demon to chuckle. "Curious."

* * *

I returned to Lao's side as the curry contest got underway and did my best to hide how bothered I was by what Sebastian showed me. _Dear God, those eyes. I don't know whether to be thrilled, turned on, or absolutely terrified._ The crowd pushed closer and I frowned minutely. _And I hate crowds. Too many chances for trouble. Pick-pocketers, murderers, assassinations. Lao didn't just bring Ran Mao for the elephants. Between her and myself, he's got enough cover for a military attack. He's making me keep an eye on Ciel too, since Sebastian is busy._ I shifted my glance to the small boy beside me. _He doesn't even know that he's out in the open, does he? He needs to learn that he's not exactly well liked._ I sighed softly. _I've already taken care of_ one _assassin, though Lao spotted him first._ I looked down at the deep red tangzhuang Lao forced me into for today. _Wonder if he noticed the darker spots on here…_

"Hey! Check it out!" Someone shouted, making me flinch with a hand already reaching for my pistols, but the crowd was simply exclaiming at the speed of which Agni and Sebastian were cooking.

"That Indian guy's hand seems to have a life of its own!"

"And what an amazing smell!"

"The Funtom company is also amazing!"

"The smell is great too!"

"Looks like we won't lose easily either." Ciel muttered as Lao hung on my shoulder and laughed.

Then, the crowd suddenly gasped. Sebastian had dropped chocolate into the curry. I could honestly care less. The smells and noises of the crowd were beginning to make me tetchy, and already, Lao seemed to notice. He was tugging on my cheeks again. Then, Agni pulled out a blue lobster and Viscount Druitt went on a rant. The moment he mentioned a particular 'blue jay' and 'robin' however, Ciel and I were both shivering. _God, I hate that man. I'd get Lao to let me kill him, but the moron always seems to pop back up._

"This is bad." Soma said then, forcing our attention away from the performance above us. "We are going to lose this competition."

"How so?" Lao asked, finally releasing my abused cheeks.

"It's true that Ciel's butler's curry is the real thing, but it is only the curry that is perfect." Soma gestured to where Sebastian was prepping bread. "The problem is the naan. Because it is not a staple in Bengal, I know little about it, but I do know that naan is made from fermented paste and wheat. They are baked together at a high temperature in an oven we call tandoori." Soma rattled on. "As I thought, one week to master the art of making curry was way too short. The contest…"

I didn't look bothered though, and Ciel seemed to spot my expression.

"You look unbothered, Alex."

I blinked down at him and turned my gaze away. "Sebastian doesn't seem like one to do something half-heartedly. He said he was fine after a week, so he is fine."

Ciel smirked, accepting that answer and after a few more minutes, time was announced and the chefs put down their utensils. Right away, three chefs were out for using curry powder and a fourth had poorly mixed the spices he used; leaving Agni and Sebastian. Agni displayed his, earning the respects of many of the chefs for his blue lobster and multitude of curry flavors, then came Sebastian's. The judges were rather stunned to find a simple piece of naan and Sebastian deep-fried it and presented it. I tipped my head, finding it odd that the judges took at it with a fork and knife, but kept my mouth shut as the taste-testing came up. Lao nudged me and I glanced down at him giving me a puppy-dog pout, and I sighed.

"Funtom's, I take it."

He lit up with a grin. "If you would?"

"Like I have a choice." I muttered under my breath, hurrying through the crowd and easily sneaking up to the front of the line.

I snatched a bag of a dozen curry buns and returned; handing them out to Lao, Ran Mao, Bard, Finny, Mey-Rin, and even offering one to Ciel; who surprisingly took it. It was good, I had to admit. The naan hid the scents long enough for my nose to get used to it—my nose was far too sensitive lately—and the taste wasn't too spicy either. The vegetables, meats, and potatoes were cut in small bite-sized portions and I was glad that I had no mess to clean up on myself _nor_ Ran Mao. The woman could be quite messy when she wanted to be. Then, came the announcement.

"After much discussion, the winner of this curry show is… Harold West Company _and_ Funtom company! A tie!"

The crowd was stunned, but a crack of a whip set my spine straight as the trophy was taken from the announcer's hand and dropped into that of another's.

"Please wait. The victor"

The white-haired man was trampled by a horse and Lao brought a hand up to his mouth.

"That is…"

Ciel though, was quick on his feet and soon stood before the older woman riding the horse.

"Your majesty! Why have you come here?!"

The crowd gaped in shock whereas Lao nudged me towards Ciel. I sighed, but begrudgingly went after the young master. I placed a hand on his shoulder, letting him know I was behind him as the white-haired butler helped the queen down from her horse.

"This curry show was indeed exciting. The fragrance permeating throughout the entire room reminds me of a time I had curry with Albert on White Island." The woman said softly, before bursting into tears. "Oh, Albert!"

The butler brought out a hand puppet. "I want to eat this curry with you also."

"Her majesty seems quite the complex character." Lao said from behind me, making me flinch and glare at him.

 _If he was coming over here anyway, why did he send_ me _off?_

"Don't talk like that." Ciel grumbled, looking as bothered by the Queen's reaction as the rest of us.

"As I received an invitation to be a judge in this contest, I have one vote, don't i?" The Queen went on, dabbing at her face. "I have chosen… Funtom Company's butler, Sebastian." She said, passing him the trophy. "This is for you."

"W-Why?!" West shouted at the edge of the stage. "How can the curry we made lose to a doughnut stuffed with curry?!"

I grabbed his arm and glared down at the man, silencing him as I kept him back from approaching the Queen. _She's a decent enough lady and as the Queen, I doubt him approaching her so easily will be taken kindly to._

"Please look over there." The Queen said and the man turned as I released him to see a group of kids eating curry from his _and_ Sebastian's trays. "Do you see? Funtom's curry requires no utensils and can be consumed by anyone. Yes, that is right. This is a method that takes even children into account. Everyone is happy. The rich, the poor, the adults, the children. Everyone is equal. This kind of idea is essential for Great Britain as it heads into a new century. I highly approve of Funtom Company's accounting for our future; the children. Thus, the victor is the Funtom Company!"

West wandered away with a hand on his forehead just as an Indian woman rushed up to him. _Ah, Soma's missing maid._ I moved away, rubbing at my temple to calm the vicious headache that had begun to dig into my skull from the overload on my senses. I went back over to Lao's side shooting him a brief glance as he grinned and pushed a hair out of my face. But things turned out alright in the end. Agni and Soma made up and the maid was left with the upset West. Of course, the Queen had to come over and ruin the mood by calling Ciel a 'boy'.

"Your majesty, I've humbly asked you to stop referring to me that way!" Ciel said loudly in embarrassment.

"Is that so?" The Queen smiled. "But you'll always be that cute little boy to me."

Ciel, a little annoyed, silenced the trio of giggling morons known as his servants, and cleared his throat as he tried to speak more amicably to the Queen.

"Your majesty, why did you come all the way out here today?"

"I was at St. Sophia University's choir concert, but when I heard that your company was coming to the curry fair, I had to come and see you. You only ever send letters and never come to visit, after all."

Ciel fidgeted with his hat. "Someone like me shouldn't be around your majesty very often."

"Please don't say such things." She said, patting his head. "You're so young, but you already perform your duty so seriously; just like your father, Vincent. Besides that, it's been such a long time since I came to the crystal palace. It seems like just yesterday that Albert and I would come here for the opening ceremonies…" She paused, then was crying again. "Albert!"

"I wish you were here today too!" The hand puppet of her husband calmed her again.

"Oh, dear. I must be leaving soon. I'll have the grand chamberlain's office send you the authorization documents for the royal warrant." She said, climbing up into the saddle once more. "I'm looking forward to eating curry bread in the royal salon as well. And you."

I stiffened when her head shifted to me, getting a chuckle and a nudge forward from Lao to approach the woman.

"Yes, ma'am."

She smiled softly, which made me feel rather uncomfortable. "You are still young, but are quick on your feet. Should you decide to leave your current master, there will be a potential place for you in the royal palace guards; as thanks for serving me in that brief moment."

I bowed, unsure of what else to do and rather confused at the offer, and the Queen said her farewells and rode off. Lao, of course, sauntered up to me and draped his arm over my shoulder.

"Are you going to leave me, Alex?" He pouted.

"No." I murmured, making him perk up.

"Not even for the Queen?"

I resisted a shiver. "She frightens me."

Lao looked surprised at that, before bursting out into laughter. "Yes! Afraid! That is brilliant! Come, Alex. Let us take care of a stray mouse and then return to the den. You look as though you could use a break."

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the distraction, even if it was going to end in the spilling of blood.


End file.
